


Counterstrike

by puskababy



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Competition, Gen, Jealousy, Starfleet Academy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-04
Updated: 2014-03-10
Packaged: 2018-01-07 09:36:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 29
Words: 51,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1118337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puskababy/pseuds/puskababy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim and Bones have settled into life at Starfleet Academy. Sure, the coursework is hard but they've got each other to rely on. When an old friend of Bones enlists and takes an immediate dislike to Jim, things go awry. Why does this newcomer hate Jim so much? What exactly are his motivations for enlisting in the first place? And why do strange things start happening in his wake? Jim takes it upon himself to find out exactly what is going on - even if it costs him his best friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this story for last years NaNoWriMo, which for those of you who don't know of it, is a challenge in which you write a 50k novel in a month. While I've written in this genre before, this is my first attempt to write something larger and more detailed. This is un-beta'd, so any and all mistakes are mine. I'm very nervous about posting it, so i hope you enjoy. :)

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.  
TS Elliot

It was one of those days where James T Kirk was certain that the whole world was against him. Well maybe not the whole world, but Starfleet Academy at least. He supposed struggling with the course work was to be expected, after all the Academy was known for it’s difficulty, but it was also known for sorting the men from the boys, for finding the diamonds in the rough, for being the best there was, and while he had a healthy ego he was starting to think it wasn’t supposed to be this hard.

To be honest he wasn’t actually failing anything, so he had to give himself that, and on the whole he was doing remarkably well. It was just a few little things that were starting to creep up on him, and he knew he had to forgo some of his usual distraction methods and really buckle down if he wanted to impress certain instructors and Professors. Professor McClellan being the chief of that problem. McClellan was one of the few staff members that worked at the Academy without a military rank, but he’d seen his far share of space travel. Primarily he taught Engineering and design, and that was where Kirk was having difficulty. 

He liked the course, he really did, it just seemed that some of the more difficult areas of ship design, specifically the warp core were eluding him. Good thing he didn’t want to become an engineer he mused dryly as he made his way out of the lecture hall and across campus, two PADD’s tucked under his arm and his Starfleet-issued parka done up to ward off the chilly breeze that snuck it’s way across the bay. It was a miserable day really, cold and blustery with the hint of rain in the air, but it was typical San Francisco, and he didn’t really mind it. 

He knew of one particular man who did in fact mind the colder weather, a grouchy, surly Doctor who went by the name of Leonard McCoy, or Bones as Jim frequently called him. He’d first used that moniker when he’d met the doctor aboard the shuttle that would take them to Starfleet, and had been informed by Leonard that his wife had taken everything from him, save for his Bones. The name had stuck, and despite his prickly nature the two had become close friends. In fact Jim was fairly certain that Bones was the best friend he’d ever had. 

This cold weather though would make him especially prickly, and Jim knew he’d cop it from the other man, who was always at him to rug up. Must be his southern upbringing, he mused as he made his way across the main quad and to the gymnasium, where his advanced hand-to-hand combat seminar was scheduled to begin. Jim didn’t really have to worry about this class, Bones seemed to think he liked fighting, but for Jim it wasn’t about that. Ever since he was little he’d always felt a profound urge to prove himself, to make himself worthy of people’s trust, and he knew it stemmed from loosing his father and from his asshole of a stepfather, Frank. As the youngest of two boys, Jim had had to learn quickly how to protect himself. 

According to his class records though, (well in this class anyway), knowing how to protect one’s self wasn’t a bad thing. Not by any means, and Jim was acing this class, even if he did say so himself. His combination of learned material combined with his general smarts aided him in becoming one of the star cadets, and he quickly became unbeatable. He didn’t put himself on a pedestal though, he took his fair share of body slams, and hard knocks along with the other cadets and had earned the reputation of being an all around decent guy. 

Most of the other cadets were already waiting, milling around the gym mats or warming up with their sparring partners by the time he got there, and he changed quickly into his sports gear and joined them, finding his sparring partner Matt. Matt was a pretty decent guy, but he was built like an ox, which sometimes made for particularly difficult work in physically besting him. 

“Ready for me to kick your ass again Kirk?” he asked good-naturedly as he bounced on the balls of his feet. They usually fell into snarky banter while sparring. Made it more fun. 

“Sure. How’s that shoulder coming?” Jim joked, referring to their match last week when he’d delivered a particularly hard blow to Matt’s shoulder, almost sending him to the infirmary. He’d escaped reprimand by the instructor Holland because they were learning about Klingon battle techniques, and Klingons were known for their ferocity. 

Matt rolled his eyes and danced on his feet, raising his hands in typical boxer stance as he feigned a few jabs. Jim chuckled and turned away, going through his stretches until Holland arrived. 

“Alright class, we’re continuing our work from last week. I trust you’ve read the allotted chapter on Klingon defence mechanics so we’ll start there. Once you’ve warmed up begin with the basic formation, followed by position one. If you could all look to the front while I demonstrate please” Holland’s voice carried over the gym and snapped everyone to attention as she moved into the first position with her partner. Jim liked Holland, she was tough but fair and damn she knew her stuff. 

Matt moved into the offensive position, which left Kirk on the defence. That was fine, during the course of the class they’d both work on the various positions. 

“If the occasion arises that you find yourself physically engaged with a Klingon you wont have much time to prepare yourself. Klingons are known for their ferocity: in fact it’s revered in their culture. They have a tendency to hit before they think which to this point has proved very useful to them. That doesn’t mean we can skip over this first position as it’s useful not only for fighting Klingons, but in general altercations” Holland said, raising her arms in front of her face, fists level with her eyes. It was the basic stance they’d all read about in the manual she’d assigned and one that Jim had used on occasion in the years before he’d joined Starfleet. Not that he really liked to talk about them much. 

“Of course as Qo’n’os is located in the neutral zone and as any good cadet knows, Starfleet does not condone the direct challenge of this race. Some might think that then makes my class superfluous but as you will discover, assuming you all make commission, Klingons aren’t the only species out there who are hostile toward the Federation and as an extension, the fleet”

As she spoke Holland moved into other positions, demonstrating the physically demanding combat style of the Klingons. Jim and Matt followed the rest of the cadets in mirroring the moves until they’d gone through all the basic formations. 

“Alright, now that you’ve seen the moves I want you to practise them together, keeping in mind your breathing and body space. Don’t land any real hits yet, just work on getting the positioning right, and hopefully in the future this training won’t fly out of your head. I’ll be correcting any wrong moves” Holland said, beginning a slow circuit of the cadets while they went through all the moves they’d just been shown. 

“So you think you could take a Klingon?” Matt asked, feinting to the left as Kirk swung out with his fist, putting his whole weight into the move. 

“Sure. You?”

Matt shrugged. “With a bit of practise yeah, guess so. Hope we never have to find out though honestly”

Jim nodded, although a part of him thrilled at the idea. Of all the known species in the galaxy Klingons were known to be some of the most vicious, well Romulans too if you were counting. They tended to keep to themselves, content with their own faction wars, but if engaged often proved fatal to all involved. They had a hatred for weakness, valued honour and above all else, hated the Federation. 

“Kirk remember to keep your shoulder down. You open yourself up to an attack by keeping your arm up. That’s better” Holland scrutinised Jim’s moves as she walked past, advising certain cadets on their technique and ways to improve. 

While the class was one of the more slower-paced ones of the semester, it was by no means less gruelling, and by the time the seminar was over Jim was sweating profusely and would be sure to nurse some stiff muscles in the morning. Klingon techniques were difficult for humans to master – just like their language. He was relieved to notice the other cadets in a similar condition as they all headed toward the shower block. 

“Nice moves out there Matt, you’ll be taking on those Klingons in no time” 

Matt grinned. “Thanks Jim. You too: as always. Think you’ll pass the exam for this course?”

“Sure why not? It’s not for another few months though” Kirk said as he grabbed his clothes and took a stall, running himself through a sonic shower chamber to clean off the sweat and grime. While he always preferred the hot rush of water, he didn’t have time for that at the moment. He’d indulge later back at the dorm. 

“Yeah, but it always pays to be prepared. You heading out tonight?” Matt asked once they’d both showered and changed, heading back out into the blustery day. 

“I don’t know. Maybe” Jim said as they entered the mess hall for lunch. Cadets were allowed leave off campus from Friday through to Sunday and at any time during the week. Curfew was 2200 hours and was to be strictly adhered to, with harsh penalties for those individuals who shirked the law. Normally after a particularly hard week Jim and Bones would head to any number of the bars in the city for a few drinks, occasionally indulging in a heavy drinking fest but tonight Jim wasn’t so sure. He should really study the engineering blue prints and design schematics, just to get ahead for his class. 

“Oh is the infamous Jim Kirk going soft? That rejection last week really set you back huh? Matt joked as he grabbed a tray and loaded it with food. Jim rolled his eyes. He’d been working on buttering up a particular waitress at one of the pubs in town but she’d turned him down. Oh well plenty more fish in the sea. 

“She didn’t reject me. She had a boyfriend already, and I refuse to be the other man in the relationship. She doesn’t know what she’s missing out on” Jim lied, keeping his rep as a ladies man up. It wouldn’t do for the rest of campus to see he’d been shot down. 

“Shut up she did not. You’re loosing your touch” Matt finished grabbing his food and headed off to a table of his friends, leaving Jim to grab what he wanted in peace. It was a little hard to juggle his tray as well as his two PADD’s, but he made it to a table just as he saw Bones enter the hall. They didn’t have any classes together due to their different academic tracks but they almost always grabbed lunch together. 

“Beat anyone up today?” Bones asked as he sat down heavily. 

“No, but it’s only lunch time” Jim said, chuckling at the wry look the other man shot his way. Ahh it was always fun antagonising him. 

“By the way I’m swinging by your dorm after clinic rotation this afternoon. We’re going drinking” 

“Any particular reason why?”

Bones frowned. “No, but then when do you of all people need an excuse to get drunk? What’s eating you kid?”

Jim sighed softly, finding no offence in Bones calling him kid. He’d always done it, even though Bones wasn’t really that much older than he was. Maybe it was the weary doctor in him. 

“Nothing, just work and shit. No biggie. I’ll deal with it”

“What work specifically?”

“McClellan's design and engineering seminar. I’m not failing by any means, but I just feel like I can do more”

“Well you know there’s plenty of instructors about to ask, why don’t you go down to the hanger this afternoon?”

Jim took a bite of his sandwich. “Yeah, I mean I need to know this stuff if I want a captaincy one day, so maybe I’ll do that. We have a series of shuttle sim evaluations coming up and I think one of them deals with a possible core failure”

“Sounds delightful” Bones muttered, turning back to his food. 

“Well the likelihood of something that catastrophic actually happening is actually pretty low. They build these things safely so they won’t blow up if you accidentally hit the red button”

Bones closed his eyes. “Don’t remind me. Those flying tin cans are dangerous enough without you behind the helm. Or worse, controlling the engine”

“Or in the chair” Jim grinned. 

“Great. I pity the fool who ends up as your CMO”

Now Jim laughed, his good humour returning. “Don’t pity yourself Bones. You didn’t think I’d go up there without you did you?”

“One can only hope” Bones muttered.

***

After lunch Leonard bid farewell to Jim and headed back across campus to the shuttle bay, where he took a quick shuttle ride over to the infirmary where he was to spend the afternoon on ward rotation. While it wasn’t as exciting as Starfleet Medical, which was just a short distance away, as a Cadet second class he couldn’t expect anything more. If he worked hard enough and proved himself worthy he could apply for a second semester clinical rotation at Starfleet Medical – for now he was stuck with patching broken noses and sprained ankles.

A few of his colleagues gave him friendly glances as he made his way through to the doctors lounge and grabbed his white coat from his locker. He always felt better when he slipped it on – it was like the fact that he was a cadet was now gone, and instead of Cadet McCoy, it was Doctor McCoy. He knew which title he preferred. Cadet reds always stuck out among the pristine halls and illuminated corridors, but now he felt like one of the team. 

Leonard liked that feeling, it had been something sorely lacking from his doomed marriage of three years. His ex-wife Jocelyn had complained about the crazy hours he’d kept, but that was the life of a doctor – especially a country doctor, which he’d been when they’d gotten married. In retrospect it had been a stupid decision, but he’d been so in love and caught up with the fervor of it all that it had seemed like no big deal to ask the woman he loved for her hand. Jocelyn had been beautiful then, he supposed she still was now, in a faded sort of way. He hadn’t seen her, or his young daughter Joanna for months, last he’d heard they were both living on the Jupiter settlement. Seemed like she couldn’t get any farther away from him, and god damnit that was fine by him. It wasn’t her he missed. 

Absently he brushed his fingertip over the faded image of Joanna that was stuck to the inside of his locker. She was a sweet little girl, and he hoped she hadn’t forgotten him. He sent a holo-vid every month and while they always tried to meet up for holidays he was starting to notice the little girl’s reticence. He was becoming a stranger to her, a distant space man who would live out his life exploring the galaxy. God damn it all. 

He still had Jim though, and he’d be damned if he’d fuck that friendship up. Jim was like a veritable breath of fresh air, well the oxygen his life needed anyway. He was reckless, bold, daring and so damned intelligent it was hard to think of a better candidate for captaincy. Jim would make a great Captain one day, and with any luck Leonard would be right there with him, as Chief Medical Officer. On a star ship no less. What was his life coming to – although it could be said that he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“Anything interesting happen today Para?” he asked as he clocked in and took a moment to peruse the log. Of course he didn’t really need to ask his colleague but he liked establishing a rapport, it made for easier working conditions. Para was a cadet Third class, and almost at the end of her fleet training. She’d gained her medical degree on her home planet of Betazed and her telepathic abilities made for quite an excellent and accomplished doctor. It had taken Leonard a little while to get used to the idea that, as a Betazoid she had significant telepathic power, but he found her honesty and professional nature refreshing. He always knew where he stood with her. 

“Not a whole heap. A junior cadet sprained his ankle during a hand-to-hand seminar, but that was easy to repair. I told him to come back if he has any trouble but I’m not anticipating any. I heard through the grape vine that the Parisi Square tournament starts up again tonight, so you might get a few cadets in later. Other than that, it’s been rather quiet Doctor” Para said, fixing her eyes on him for a moment. You didn’t have to be psychic to know Leonard’s opinion of Parisi Squares. Damn foolishness, even if Jim was fond of it. 

“Thank you. I’ll be sure to reprimand those cadets who manage to injure themselves playing that stupid game” he said, closing the log. 

“Have you ever actually played it Doctor?” Para asked, crossing her arms over her slender chest. 

“Definitely not. I don’t see the point of trying to jab someone with a big damned stick, even if it is padded” he grumbled, thinking of the few times he’d caught a game being played. He wasn’t exactly sure what it involved, other than trying to inflict as much damage as possible. 

“It’s, rather amusing if I say so myself” 

His eyes widened. “You’ve played it? I had no idea”

Para smiled. “Only once or twice, but yes it is amusing. Fun I think”

“You think?”

“As I said doctor I’ve only played it once or twice, but most of those times the yelling was almost too much to bear”

“Yes they do tend to get quite…vocal don’t they?” Leonard leaned his hip against one of the counters, glancing out over the room. Everything was neat and in it’s place. Just the way he liked it. 

“Well if that’s all Doctor I’ll leave you to it. Good night” Para said, smiling warmly before she headed toward the lounge. The door swished shut behind her and all was blessedly quiet, save for the occasional beeping from one of the various machines and instruments that were used. Making sure everything was calibrated for immediate use he picked up his PADD and set to work updating files for various cadets who had a reputation for turning up here. Jim was on his list, but he hadn’t been sent in for a while, which either meant he wasn’t hurting himself, or he’d found a way to somehow hide any symptom he had. Kid was too intelligent for his own good. 

Two hours later the first victim of the Parisi tournament limped in, supported by his friend. Thankfully it was nothing more than a twisted ankle and bloody nose and Leonard sent him on his way with a quick analgesic hypo and a firm reprimand about playing the reckless game. He only hoped Jim wasn’t playing it, if he was their planned night of drinking wouldn’t be happening. 

It ended up being a pretty quiet night but even so Leonard was ready for a drink as he logged off and handed over to the next doctor that came on shift. After a quick shower in his dorm, (which Jim considered spacious, while he thought was merely adequate), he headed over to the officer dorms where Jim lived. Seeing as how it was a Friday night most of the cadets were off campus, spending their credits in the city and imbibing perhaps a little too much liquor. 

He thumbed open his comm as he walked though the dorm blocks, sending a quick message to Jim in the hope that he would be ready by the time he got to the door. Heaven forbid Leonard interrupt him while he was…entertaining. That had actually happened only last month, and he was still trying to live it down. Jim had laughed so hard Leonard had been worried he’d pass out. 

However Jim was studying when he found him, blonde head bent over his PADD. In fact he didn’t even look up when Leonard entered his pass code into the door. 

“Earth to Jim. We still on kid?”

Jim looked up. “Oh hey Bones, oh my God what time is it?”

“Time to go, did you get my comm.?” 

He looked sheepish. “Sorry I’ve been kind of wrapped up in this. Let me just get changed and we can go”

Leonard waited patiently while Jim straightened his belongings and jumped into the shower, not at all surprised by his friend’s workaholic nature. Despite what most people thought, Jim Kirk worked damn hard to be as good as he was and most people didn’t know he spent many nights in Leonard’s dorm hunched over his PADD working. They both did, but the difference was Jim made it look easy. 

Once Jim had changed they made their way into the city, chatting amiably about the days events. 

“I’m surprised you didn’t come in tonight actually” Leonard said as they took a seat in one of their favourite bars. While the room was filled with other cadets and various people they still managed to find a quiet table near the back of the room. If they needed to do some serious drinking they usually went somewhere else, but for tonight this place was fine. 

“And why would I do that?” Jim asked, flashing his usual cocky grin and gaining the immediate attention of a nearby waitress. She came over and they ordered. 

“The Parisi Square tournament started tonight. I thought you loved playing that absurd game” 

Jim grinned. “Yeah I do. My match isn’t till next week”

Leonard rolled his eyes. “Typical”

“Here you are boys” the waitress said as she returned, placing two beers and a plate of chips down on their table. She shot Jim a hopeful glance, (which he returned) before she headed off to another table. Was it Leonard’s imagination or was there an extra swish to her hips as she walked? 

“You know you really should come to a match sometime, it’s fun” Jim said, taking a swig of his ale and reaching for a chip. He pushed the plate toward Leonard. 

“I don’t think so. Couldn’t think of anything worse actually”

“You’re missing out”

“I hardly think trying to beat each other with large sticks could be considered fun Jim”

“You know they’re padded right? We’re not barbarians. I find it involves serious strategy and tactical analysis” Jim said, sounding mildly affronted. 

“Tactical analysis sure, whatever helps you sleep at night kid” Bones chuckled, rolling his eyes as Jim gazed casually around the crowded bar. 

“I sleep very well thanks” Jim said, winking at the same waitress who was blatantly staring at him from behind the bar. Leonard supposed she was attractive: her busty charms were certainly appreciated by the male cadets in the room. Yeah maybe she was hot, but she wasn’t paying him any attention at the moment. Jim had fixed those baby blues on her and he was pulling her in like a magnet. 

“Shall I leave you to it?” He said, motioning to the woman. 

“What? Oh no it’s ok Bones. We’ve met previously. It’s ok. You were saying?”

Bones rolled his eyes but like he’d been thinking earlier that day, he really wouldn’t have it any other way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not used to writing simulations of any kind, so hopefully this sounds ok. :)

The next day found Jim up and early, rising well before 0500 hours for his first day as part of the Academy’s elite flying team known as Nova Squadron. It was only a small unit and he was honoured to have been selected to join the ranks. Last year he’d spent most of his Saturdays as part of the secondary flight team known as Red Squad, racking up countless hours in the pilot’s chair and on various shuttle sims in the hope that he’d be promoted to the elite team and finally all his hard work had paid off. 

As it was only his first week as part of the new squad he wasn’t sure exactly what was expected of him, whether he’d get a chance to pilot a shuttle or if he’d be relegated to ground work, but it really didn’t matter. While he was itching to get up there, he was prepared to work in order to do so. Besides, this squad were known for their skill and prowess behind the controls. He couldn’t wait to get started. 

As he crossed the quad, parka done up against the chilly air, PADD tucked under his arm he took a moment to glance around. It was just before 0600 hours and he knew most of the cadets would be sleeping off the effects of last night’s hangover. There were some who were dedicated enough to be up this early, utilising the gym or the pool or getting an early start on their coursework but they were few and far between. The Academy had a way of making you feel small, like you were just a speck on the face of the planet – one planet spinning madly in a world inhabited by millions. It was a sobering thought, especially for any 23 year old young man. 

As he made his way to the flight range he spotted his old squad clustered around one of the benches, obviously going through the routine for their early morning flight. A few called out to him and he felt a brief pang of loneliness as he passed. It was always tricky changing peer groups, and he’d made some real friends in Red Squad. He’d miss flying with them, especially his co-pilot Cameron. Cam was a cool guy with a fantastic mop of red hair and a wicked sense of humour. He wanted to become a helmsman for the bigger ships and Jim thought he was well on his way. 

Flight hanger 1 was cold and dim that morning, but as Jim swiped his access card and was granted entry he heard voices coming from the end, near the shuttle sims. Making his way over he found his squad, lead by Commander Boone, a stocky trumpet-voiced man who was standing in the middle of the group. 

“Ah Cadet Kirk, nice of you to join us. Everyone I’m sure you’re all aware that Kirk is the newest member of our little band. He’s come directly from Red Squad only last week. Kirk you’ll be paired up shortly, for now just join the others this morning. See me afterwards and we’ll go over your previous training” Boone’s voice echoed around the hanger and made Jim feel only slightly uncomfortable as he took his place with the others. 

“Right squad, we’ll begin our morning by going over some of the exercises I mentioned last week. Kirk, just pay attention and try to keep up. I’ll sort everything out for you afterwards”

“Yes Sir” Kirk said, listening intently as Boone launched into the details of what the squad would be doing that morning. The shuttles Nova Squadron used were set to higher parameters than those used by Red squad and their actual shuttle runs were more difficult and elaborate than Kirk had imagined. He learned that just next week they’d be paired up and given instructions on their first run outside of Earth’s gravitational field. He’d never flown out of the atmosphere before, always Red Squad kept their members flying just on the edge so they could learn to identify the gravitational pull. But this time they’d be going out and doing a series of manoeuvres around the orbital flight range located a short distance from Mars. It was pretty heady stuff. 

After Boone had gone through every detail of the exercise they were paired up, Jim was paired with a female cadet called Jen who shook his hand firmly. 

“Nice to meet you I’m Jen Hastings” she said warmly. 

“Jim Kirk” Jim returned her smile. She seemed like a pretty capable girl he thought as they listened to what was happening for that day. In preparation for their larger flight run next week they would be working on a simulation that would mirror what they would encounter while in actual flight. Today he would act as co-pilot so he could observe and get to know Jen’s style a little more. 

As he’d thought Jen was more than capable of commanding a shuttle, even if it was only a simulation. 

“Cross-check those readings Kirk, all controls ready for lift off on my command” Jen said competently as she adjusted and worked on the control panel in front of her. Jim was also hard at work, although he didn’t have to worry about quite as much as she did. 

“Readings cross-checked and ready. Wind speed is 10 miles per hour, atmosphere looks steady with no expected climatic delays. All temperature readings are holding steady. I’ll begin telemetry on your mark” he said, feeling his first day jitters evaporate as he set his mind to the task, taking note of the various instruments and display that he would need to keep steady as the sim progressed. 

“Begin telemetry now. Alright, please keep your arms and legs inside the shuttle at all times. Tray tables up, we are ready for take-off” Jen dead-panned as she expertly steered the sim, following the exact route they would take next week. 

Jim chuckled, and finally felt his nerves dissipate as the familiar pull and whirr of the machine started up around him. These sims were remarkably accurate, even down to the inertia, which was controlled by the dampners and various other blinking displays. 

“So how are you feeling about joining Nova?” Jen asked as she began their first set of manoeuvres, the grounds of the Academy disappearing below them as they rose. 

Jim loosed a breath. “Good, I mean it’s a lot more intense than Red Squad but that’s cool. I like intense. How long have you been part of it?”

Jen thought for a moment, making a small adjustment before she spoke again. “A year. I want to pilot the big ones when I graduate, the new Constitution-class ships”

“Sweet” 

Just then the voice of Commander Boone came over the intercom. 

“ _Kelly_ come in, this is Boone” 

Jen flicked a switch. “This is the _Kelly_. We read you Sir”

“You’re slightly off course. Adjust the left turbine and alter speed for the next manoeuvre. Follow the _Clancy_. Over”

“Copy that Sir. Adjusting speed and vectors now”

Jen adjusted the controls and they followed the shuttle ahead of them as they went through the second set. The day’s exercises consisted of only three manoeuvres that would be recorded by the onboard telemetry and discussed once they were back on the ground. Once they’d adjusted their vector and were back on course the remaining exercises went off without a hitch and they made it back safely, even though ‘technically’ they’d never actually left the ground. 

Commander Boone was waiting for them as they did the final checks before disembarking the various shuttles and rejoining their leader for the de-brief. Kirk was a little surprised to find that he would be piloting the shuttle next week. He’d thought Jen would be doing it, seeing as how she was the most experienced. 

“Boone likes testing his newbie’s” Jen informed him once they’d wrapped up for the morning. Kirk was glancing over his data feed on his PADD, making sure the new Nova Squad information was uploaded. 

“I figured as much. I’m not worried, today was a piece of cake” he said cockily, smiling to take the edge off his words. 

Jen laughed. “You’re a decent flyer Kirk I’ll give you that. Just wait till you have to go up in 200 mph winds. Then we’ll see how cocky you are”

“I could do that in my sleep” he said, zipping up his parka as they made their way back outside. 

“Sure sure. I’ll see you round Kirk” Jen said, waving as she headed off in the opposite direction. 

Jin shook his head as he made his way leisurely back across the campus, his mind full of that mornings events. It had gone well and he felt a swell of pride bubble up as he walked. Bones would have to be informed of this and he wondered briefly what the other man was up to. 

Maybe he should make a stop by the Infirmary. Yeah that sounded like a good idea.

***

The Infirmary was busy for a Saturday Leonard mused as he set a dermal regenerator wand back on it’s stand. Ever since his shift had started there’d been a steady trickle of cadets coming through the doors, with injuries ranging from a broken finger, to a plasma burn. That one had been particularly nasty, and he felt a pang of sympathy for the engineering cadet, who’d somehow managed to blow up one of his research projects, thus burning his hands quite severely. He’d be ok, Leonard had set his hands in a pair of dermal gloves that had immediately set about re-knitting and repairing his singed skin. 

The poor cadet was currently asleep in one of the beds, his hands still encased in the gloves. He’d need at least two more sessions with them and Leonard had taken pity on his whimpering and administered a light sedative combined with a painkiller, knowing it would have been hell to endure. The cadet really should have been paying attention he mused as he recalibrated another instrument, damn dangerous these things they called ships. 

“Morning Bones”

That was Jim’s voice Leonard realised and he spun quickly, expecting to find him in all kinds of distress or injury but instead Jim flashed him a grin. He was fine. 

“What are you doing here?”

“What? I can’t visit my best friend on a Saturday morning?” Jim asked, shrugging off his parka and hopping up onto one of the beds, swinging his legs like a child. 

“Well considering you’re damn hard to get in here even for an inoculation, I find it hard to believe that you’d just saunter in here of your own free will”

Jim grinned again. “Well saunter I did. How’s your morning been?”

“Busy. You’ve been flying again haven’t you?” Leonard asked. That particular sparkle in Jim’s eyes only came about when he was up to no good – or had been in the shuttles. 

“Yep. First day of Nova Squadron today. I was awesome as usual”

Leonard chuckled. “I’m sure you were”

“We’re doing a shuttle run next week that will take us around the Mars orbital station. Cool huh? I thought you’d want to know”

“Sounds fantastic, but count me out. Can you do me a favour?”

“What?”

“Don’t tell me about these sort of things beforehand. Tell me once you’ve come back in one piece” he grumbled. God he hated flying, which seemed to be a constant source of amusement for Jim. 

“Aww are you worried about me Bones?” Jim said, picking up an instrument and inspecting it closely. 

Leonard took it off him. Honestly the damn kid was like well…a kid. “Leave that alone, and no I’m not particularly worried about you per se, it’s those damn tin cans they make you pilot”

“Bones they’re perfectly safe. Want me to upload the telemetry feed to your PADD so you can watch?”

“Definitely not. I’m busy here you know”

“Doesn’t look like it”

“Well I am. I get off at 1700 hours tonight”

“Ok. I’ll come over. Want me to bring Chinese?”

“Please do. Now get lost. I’ll see you later Jim”

“Bye Bones. Don’t miss me too much” Jim said as he sauntered out of the infirmary, the doors swishing shut behind him and leaving the room in blessed peace. Bones turned back to the medical records he’d been adjusting and got back to work, trying not to think too much about Top Gun pilots and the dangerous cans they flew in.

***

“How bad is the pain, on a scale of one to ten” Leonard asked a cadet later that afternoon. It was almost time for his shift to end but he couldn’t ignore this last patient, who’d come in complaining of a migraine. 

“Seven” she answered, her eyes squeezed shut. There was a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead and she was pale and clammy. 

“Alright. I’m going to administer a strong analgesic. It’s going to make you drowsy so I want you to stay here for the afternoon until you wake up. It should take the pain away” he said, turning away to grab a hypospray. He loaded the proper medication before he pressed it gently to the girl’s neck. She winced and he gently helped her lay down on the bed, removing her shoes for added comfort. 

“Just lie still and quiet now. Someone will be here if you need” he said, patting her arm. 

“Thanks Doctor” she murmured, already sounding drowsy. 

He turned back to his paperwork when there was another voice. 

“Leonard McCoy, well I never” 

He turned, shocked. He hadn’t heard that voice in at least 15 years. It couldn’t be. 

“Avery Scott! Well I’ll be damned”

The other man, Avery grinned widely and embraced him warmly. He still looked like the same man Leonard had known at Ole Miss, ruggedly handsome with a shock of black hair and bright green eyes. He hadn’t changed at all. 

“How are you Len? I haven’t seen you in years! What brings you to Starfleet?” Avery asked, crossing his arms casually over his broad chest. 

Leonard raised his eyes skyward for a moment. “I had nothing left Avery, Jocelyn took the whole damn planet in the divorce. Enlisting seemed like as good a thing as any. What about you? I see you wearing the cadet reds”

Avery smoothed his hands down his front. “Yeah I decided to join up. Country medicine just wasn’t cutting it. I’m real sorry about you and Jocelyn Len, it’s a shame”

Leonard shrugged. “I suppose. So are you on any clinical rotations yet? Could use a familiar face around here”

Avery nodded. “Well I only just enlisted so I’d imagine any clinic duty I have won’t be for a while. Of course you could always put in a good word for me, might speed things along a bit”

Leonard chuckled. “Might do you some good. I mean it can be damn quiet around here, but it’s not bad work. I’m still amazed you’re even here actually”

“I know, believe me I never expected to enlist in the military of all things, but it feels right. This is where I should be”

“Well I don’t know about the military, you know the primary concern of Starfleet is exploratory don’t you? Ah well, you’ll realise that soon enough”

Avery shrugged. “Yeah, I guess it’s a little hard to remember that when we’re calling everyone Sir and Ma’am. Hey you getting off shift soon? We should go for a beer, catch up some more”

Leonard nodded. “I’m off duty now actually but I’ve already got plans for later. I’m having dinner with a friend back at my dorm. You’re more than welcome to tag along”

“Sure why not? I could always use another friend around this place. Lead on”

Doctor Para arrived then, giving them both a casual wave as she clocked in and headed for the main room. Leonard shrugged out of his coat and grabbed the last of his belongings before he started toward his own dorm, Avery walking beside him. They fell into easy conversation as they walked and it was just like old times, back at Ole Miss where they’d both studied medicine. Avery had always been a smart son of a bitch, even if he had to work hard for it. They’d been good friends but had gone their separate ways when he’d met Jocelyn and decided to get married. He’d always gotten the distinct impression that Avery hadn’t approved of his decision, but that had faded over time. 

“So who’s this friend huh? It’s not some chick is it?” Avery asked as they neared his quarters. 

Leonard chuckled. “No it’s not a girl. I’ve decided to steer clear of them for a while. You’ll like him. Come on in”


	3. Chapter 3

Jim was in the process of laying out several containers of (in his opinion) the best Chinese food in the city when the door opened and Bones stepped in, mid-conversation with another man. He glanced up, unaware that Bones had decided to bring someone else along. 

“Hey Jim there’s someone I want you to meet. Avery Scott, meet Jim Kirk” Bones introduced them and the other man stepped forward, his hand outstretched. 

“ _The_ Jim Kirk? Wow, nice to meet you” Avery said as he gave Jim’s hand a firm shake. 

Jim flushed, not used to the small measure of celebrity his last name garnered him. “Nice to meet you”

“Avery and I used to study together at Ole Miss. I only found out he’d joined Starfleet today when he popped into the infirmary this afternoon. I invited him to dinner tonight so we could get a chance to catch up” Bones said as he slipped off his boots, putting them in their usual place by the door. Jim suddenly felt under-dressed in his bare feet and the remnants of his uniform. He knew it was impossible to believe Bones didn’t have other friends, but this was the first time he’d known of any. 

“Sure. I’m glad I ordered extra then” Jim chuckled, resuming his seat and continuing to dole out servings of the steaming food. 

“You get this from Ming’s in the city?” Avery asked as he accepted a beer. Bones took a seat and the three of them dug in. 

Jim nodded. “Yeah, it’s pretty good food”

Avery frowned. “If you like this sort of thing. I prefer Italian but whatever floats your boat”

Jim swallowed and tried to keep his face neutral as he ate, a somewhat difficult task given that Avery seemed to be determined to hate the food. Fine, not everyone liked Chinese, but in Jim’s opinion, those people were weirdo’s anyway. 

He ate in silence for a while content to listen to Bones and Avery as they caught up and got reacquainted. He had to admit it was interesting speaking to one of Bones old friends, and if he was honest he couldn’t really see them being friends. That sounded unfair though, Avery seemed like an ok guy. Jim would definitely give him a chance. 

“So you’re a doctor then?” Jim asked once he’d made a sizeable dent in his dinner. 

“Yeah, I specialise in emergency medical work”

“Are you going to be doing any practical rotations? Like Bones does shifts in the infirmary, you know that sort of thing”

Avery raised an eyebrow. “Bones? I’ve heard you say that a few times now? Where did that little moniker come from?”

Jim chewed the inside of his cheek. He was the only one who called Bones that and he’d kind of like it to stay that way. 

“Well you know how I told you Jocelyn took the whole damn planet in the divorce? All I had left was my bones. I met Jim on the shuttle that took us here, he’s been the only one to ever call me that, but I don’t mind at all” Bones said smiling gently. Jim got the feeling he didn’t want Avery to start calling him that either. It was their thing. 

Avery chuckled and for some reason the sound set Jim’s teeth on edge. Normally he was quite easy to get along with, (well in his opinion anyway) but talking to Avery was like trying to get blood from a stone. 

So he continued to eat in silence, interjecting whenever he could but it soon became clear that this night was about Bones and Avery. That was ok: they had obviously been great friends so Jim decided to leave them to it. It was almost curfew anyway. 

“I might leave you to it” he said after a while, doing his best not to seem petty or childish. God knows Bones complained enough when he had to administer any kind of hypo, but fuck – those things hurt. 

“Oh really?” Avery said. 

“Yeah I’m kind of wiped after today and I’ve got a crapload of work to do so I’ll make tracks. Catch you later Bones” Jim said, slipping into his shoes and out the door before Bones could complain. 

It was pitch black as he made his way back to his dorm and the temperature had dropped, a wicked wind sneaking it’s way around the buildings to whip at his hair and cheeks. Despite the cold he found himself walking down to the pier on the edge of San Francisco Bay. The wind whistled down here and he could faintly make out white caps on the glimmering water, the spray leaping up to wet his cheeks as he leant on one of the pylons. 

While it had been a bit of a strange evening he wouldn’t begrudge Bones if he wanted to spend some time with his old friend. They weren’t joined at the hip, despite what some people said and Jim was perfectly capable of keeping himself occupied while Bones caught up with Avery. Jim wanted to like him, he really did. So why was it so hard? Maybe it was the fact that Avery had filled their conversation tonight with backhanded insults and sneaky complaints about the food, the uniforms and about the general life on campus. 

In some respects Jim couldn’t argue – it had taken him a long time to grow accustomed to life at Starfleet and he knew he owed his success in part to Bones, and also in part to Captain Christopher Pike, the man who’d convinced him to enlist in the first place. Pike had been an amazing help to him this past year, and his unspoken challenge really pushed Jim on to new academic heights. He still remembered the day he joined up like it was yesterday. He’d been brawling in a bar with some other cadets after a failed attempt to pick up a particularly fine cadet called Uhura (and no he still didn’t know the rest of her name). 

Pike had dared him to enlist after scraping him off the floor, daring him to do better than his father, the famous George Kirk who’d risen to legendary status among the Fleet after his doomed captaincy of the USS Kelvin. Jim had been angry with him for a long time after his death, angry that he’d been left alone, angry that his mother had found someone else, just angry at life. It didn’t matter that his aptitude scores were off the charts, if Pike hadn’t found him he’d probably be on the floor of another bar, or behind bars rotting away in prison. Pike had convinced him he’d be wasting his life doing anything but enlisting, and in the end Jim had agreed with him. 

He’d found ways to channel his emotions into his work, excelling in hand-to-hand combat and diplomacy and interspecies ethics. In fact even Pike was amazed at his abilities, and it seemed he was on track to graduate early and accomplish his goal of getting a commission. The fact that he would do it before the cadets he’d brawled with was an added bonus. 

He didn’t know how long he stood at the pylon, letting the wind whip his face and the spray dampen his clothes but he was shivering hard when he finally turned away, heading back to his dorm and his already sleeping roommate. Bones would probably berate him for staying out in the cold so long, but it made him feel alive. Vital and strong and somehow less insignificant than before.


	4. Chapter 4

“So what’s Kirk’s deal” Avery asked sometime during the week. Leonard had been rushing from his xenobiology seminar and had almost knocked the other cadet over in the hallways. Now they were walking at a more sedate pace. 

He frowned. “What do you mean?” 

Avery shrugged. “He seemed a bit weird the other day that’s all. I don’t think he likes me much”

Leonard hummed softly unsure what to say. He hadn’t noticed anything overly strange or different about Jim’s behaviour, but then maybe he was too close to the subject. Jim could sometimes be a hard person to know, and in their brief conversations Leonard had discovered that Jim hadn’t had an easy time of things. Growing up without his father would have had to have had some kind of effect on the young man, but Jim never spoke of it in more than passing, if that. 

“He’s probably got better things to worry about” Avery was saying. 

Now Leonard frowned. “Jim’s not like that. He uh…hasn’t had an easy time of things”

Avery’s eyes widened. “Really? I mean I know he lost his father, but come on: he was a baby! He never even knew him. Must be tough having everyone know your personal history”

Leonard felt a wave of defensive protectiveness swell up inside him. Jim was his best friend and sure he sometimes annoyed the crap out of him but no one should speak about him like that, especially not someone who didn’t know him. 

“I’d imagine it would be, but Jim doesn’t let it stop him. He works damn hard on his coursework and doesn’t let things or other people’s opinions of him stop him”

Avery held up his hands. “Whoa whoa Len I was only saying. I just don’t think he likes me very much, he wasn’t overly chatty the other night at dinner. That’s all”

Leonard nodded. “Fine. I thing you’re wrong though. Jim’s a pretty stand-up sort of guy. Give him a chance before you dismiss him entirely”

Heaven knows he’d had more than his fair share of people dismiss him over the years, that much Leonard knew for sure. His mother Winona for one had spent as much time off planet as possible while Jim was growing up, and Leonard put it down to the fact that Jim reminded her too much of her husband George. He’d seen photo’s of the elder Kirk and Jim had definitely inherited his good looks – his intelligence too. But spending so long without a parental figure, (a decent one) had led Jim into what he called his ‘delinquent phase’. Captain Pike had been the first person to take a chance on him for a number of years and for that Leonard was pleased. 

“Alright I will. Hey listen I put my name down for clinical rotation this semester too. The brass seemed pretty excited for me to start putting my medical training to use. We might even have a few shifts together”

“That’s great” Leonard said, and he meant it. As a cadet second class he was often paired up with a less experienced cadet and while most of them were decent, there were a few unsavoury ones. Avery was a damn good doctor: Leonard had seen first-hand proof of that so doing rotation duty with him wouldn’t be so bad. 

“Yeah, hopefully I get it soon. Maybe this place isn’t so bad after all?” Avery said, a smile lighting his handsome face. Leonard clapped him on the back. 

“Better start studying up if you’re going to keep up with me” he chuckled.

***

For Jim Kirk the days were starting to blur together. He was up early every morning, locking himself away in a cubby at the library, burying his head in his subjects and generally keeping to himself at bit more than usual. His engineering results were thankfully improving, Professor McClellan even commented on it one afternoon after class, pulling him aside in the hallway. 

“Nice work on that paper Kirk. I know engineering isn’t for everyone, but with a little more work we could make one of you yet. Ever consider swapping academic tracks? Seems a shame wasting that brain on a captaincy” the older man said, smiling to soften his words a bit. 

Kirk felt his cheeks heat under the praise. “Thank you Professor, but I think I’m in the right place”

McClellan’s eyes filled with a knowing glint. “That’s a shame, but while we could always use a new recruit in the ranks I believe you. You’re going to make a great Captain one day. Just like your father” 

Jim cleared his suddenly thick throat. “Thank you Sir”

“Keep up the good work. Don’t slack off on me now” McClellan said, slapping Kirk on the shoulder before he turned and headed down the corridor. 

Jim shook his head slightly and headed off toward the mess hall, still running over the conversation in his mind. It felt good to have his hard work recognised. Damn good. As he walked he felt a strange sort of sensation bubble up within him and it took him a moment to realise that it was pride. Having had nothing really to be proud of (apart from his drinking record at his favourite bar in Iowa, still unbeaten to this day as far as he was aware) in the past, it was an odd sensation, but one he found he didn’t mind too much. 

“Jim you look a million miles away”

Bone’s voice snapped him out of his internal musings and he glanced up. Thankfully Bones was alone. Jim didn’t think he could deal with Avery right then. 

“Hey Bones, yeah I was. Just had a weird sort of conversation with McClellan”

“Oh yeah? Care to share?” Bones asked as he fell into step beside him. 

Jim waved it off. “Ah it was nothing. Shouldn’t you be in class right now?”

Bones shrugged. “I have another 10 minutes. I uh, wanted to talk to you actually”

“You did? What have I done now?” Jim joked. 

Bones paused and chewed his lip. It was unlike him to be unsure, especially if it was something concerning him. 

“Spit it out Bones”

He sighed. “It’s about Avery. He seems to think you don’t like him much”

Jim kept his face neutral but inside his jaw was on the floor. Metaphorically speaking at least. Avery was concerned that Jim didn’t like him? Jim was under the impression it was the other way around, and said so. 

“What gave you that idea kid?”

Jim shrugged. He didn’t really want to start anything, especially not between Bones and his old friend. God this was awkward and a prime example of why he tended to be a loner sometimes. It was just easy that way. People didn’t get hurt. 

“I don’t know. Just a vibe I got”

“Avery was under the impression you hated him”

Jim sighed. “Bones how could I hate him? I don’t even know him. He just popped up out of the blue. Give me a break here”

“I know Jim, I’m sorry. Just trying to keep the damn peace”

They walked in silence for a moment. Jim was still mulling over the strange conversations he’d had so far that day when Bones spoke again. 

“You still playing in that Parisi game?”

“Sure am. It’s on Thursday night”

Bones nodded. “Well be careful kid. I’ll see you around”

With that he walked off and Jim was left to ponder the strange turn of events. Despite his difficulty in getting along with Avery he’d try harder, maybe it took the other man a little while to warm up. He’d try again. For Bones sake.

***

Later that day Jim got a chance to put his thoughts into actions. He’d just finished for the day and was heading to the gym for a workout when he ran into Avery, who was heading back from the administrative building. 

“Hey Kirk, how’s it going?” he asked easily. 

“Good you? Not in any sort of trouble are you?” he asked, glancing toward the admin building. 12 levels high, it cast an imposing shadow over the Academy grounds. 

Avery laughed. “Oh no I was just talking to the top brass about possibly speeding up my application for medical clearance. I really want to start putting my training to use”

“Oh cool. I was just on my way to the gym. Care to join me? If you’re not busy that is” 

“Sure, let me just swing by my dorm and change” 

Jim nodded and after they made quick stops at both dorms to change they headed for the gym, which was teeming with cadets. Jim’s usual workout routine involved sets on both the holo-mills and in the pool and Avery followed him over. 

“So what do you think of this place Kirk?” Avery asked as they went through a series of warm up exercises. 

“It’s fine, I mean it takes some getting used to but I’ve adjusted” Jim said, programming his machine before stepping aboard. 

“Yeah I’ve had some trouble in the past with…lets say taking orders. I don’t particularly like these young guns ordering me around. I mean I’ve got years on these guys you know what I’m saying?”

Jim shrugged. “Yeah I guess. This is Starfleet though, surely you did your research before enlisting?”

“In a manner. I thought I was past it all though. I mean I’m 30, I want to be CMO before I’M 40 and past my prime”

“I’m sure that’ll happen” Jim said, unsure how to continue this somewhat awkward conversation. He’d only been at Starfleet a little over a year and he hadn’t encountered anyone that pulled rank. The only ones who did that were the instructors and most of them were Commanders or Captains anyway – ranks far superior to his cadet status. Not that it bothered him anyway. He was on track to become the youngest captain in the fleet history. 

They settled into silence after that but that was all right with Jim. After about 10 minutes he broke into a steady jog, noticing Avery do the same. Fine by him, he always liked a bit of competition, and it seemed the other man did too, breaking into a fast-paced run after only a few minutes. Game on. 

Jim pushed himself harder and harder and as the minutes went by his muscles started to ache and burn. He’d be damned if he’d stop though, he didn’t want to show any signs of weakness. Avery seemed to be labouring, his stride growing choppy and uneven until he finally (grudgingly in Jim’s opinion) hit the stop button, his holo-mill grinding to a seamless halt. 

Only then did Jim do the same, trying not to favour his right ankle, which he’d felt give way about 15 minutes ago. Bones was going to have a kitten when he rocked up to the infirmary. 

“Shall we hit the pool?” Avery asked, running a towel over his forehead. 

“Sure” Jim tried to reign in his pants. Together they made their way to the pool, slipping into their trunks before getting down to business. Jim’s ankle pained him constantly as he pushed himself yet again, and only on the 15th lap did he falter, sucking in a lungful of chlorinated water, surfacing spluttering and squawking. 

“Jeez, easy there Kirk” Avery chuckled, thwacking him on the back as Kirk continued to cough and choke. 

“Maybe you should take a break” he suggested once Jim had regained his breath. 

“I think I’m done” Jim said, not giving Avery a chance to respond as he pulled his aching body out of the pool and limped toward the change rooms. 

He was mad at himself for succumbing to such childish behaviour but most of all he was mad at himself for loosing.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things will pick up soon. Thanks for reading. :)

“Dammit Jim, what have you done now?” Leonard said as he saw Jim come limping into the infirmary. 

“Hey I’m not quite that bad you know. I resent that tone” Jim said as Leonard helped him up onto one of the biobeds. The damn kid looked like a drowned rat and if the tight lines around his eyes were any indication, was in quite a lot of pain. 

“What happened?” Leonard asked gently, running a scanner over his dishevelled friend. 

Jim sighed and lifted his ankle onto the bed, wincing. “I don’t know. I was working out and it just gave way”

“Just gave way? And did you stop immediately?” Bones gently palpated the area, taking note of the swelling and tenderness. Jim flinched. 

“No. I had to keep going” 

“I’m sure you did. Well it looks like you’ve sprained it pretty badly kid. I’d imagine it’s giving you a fair bit of trouble. Might I ask when this took place? If you tell me anything I don’t want to hear I’ll damn well beat you myself”

Jim chuckled. “Yesterday afternoon, and it’s not so ba-ad” 

Leonard frowned as he continued to examine the injury, turning away to grab various instruments. It wasn’t an overly serious injury but it would be sore for a couple of days. 

“And why didn’t you come in sooner?” he asked, loading a hypospray with one of the painkillers that Jim wasn’t allergic to (far to few in his opinion) before he held the device to Jim’s neck. 

“What’s that?” Jim asked, holding himself away from Leonard’s hands. 

“It’s a painkiller, hold still” he said, depressing the button before Jim could wriggle away. Typically he flinched. 

“You know I think you do that on purpose” 

Leonard rolled his eyes and held a cellular regen unit over the injured site. It wouldn’t fix it straight away but it promoted healing on a cellular level, which meant less down time. While the unit whirred quietly he turned away to grab a roll of old-fashioned bandages. 

“Feeling better?” he asked as the fine lines around Jim’s eyes disappeared. 

“I suppose. No I am. Thanks Bones”

“Well just rest it for the next couple of days. It’s going to be tender but you should be fine. Let me just strap it for you then you can be on your merry way” he said, removing the regen unit once it had finished and gently wrapping Jim’s ankle. 

“You might want to lay off the hard physical stuff for a few days as well. You’ve done a bit of damage” he said as he worked, noticing Jim’s silence. What had he been doing to sustain such an injury? Trying to best another cadet probably, and he had a feeling he knew which one. 

As if reading his mind Jim looked up. “At least we were talking. I’m trying here Bones”

“I know and I appreciate it. Just don’t hurt yourself all right? I can’t be your CMO if you cripple yourself before we even get up there”

Jim smiled. “I know. I’ll try to be more careful. Hey this won’t stop me from playing Parisi will it?”

Leonard rolled his eyes. “It damn well should! That game’s dangerous. I should write you an exemption notice”

Jim pouted childishly and Leonard laughed. “Oh all right, you can wipe that look of your face. I won’t write you a notice, but I’m putting it in your file. Anything else giving you trouble?”

Jim shook his head. “Nope I’m all good. Want me to come round tonight? My roommate seems to have discovered the fairer sex and seems intent on bringing every single female cadet home – well those who are into Andorians anyway”

Leonard smiled. “Yes it’s fine. I’ll bring something to eat. You keep off that foot Jim. I mean it”

“Yes Doctor” Jim said as he eased himself to the floor, taking a moment to test his ankle before he left. Leonard got the distinct feeling the kid wanted someone to hang with, so he decided not to invite Avery. Despite their history he still didn’t feel quite so comfortable around the other cadet as he did with Jim. 

Maybe Jim’s nickname for him had something to do with it. He’d long ago gotten the feeling that Jim needed him as much as he needed Jim, even though neither would say it aloud. Not yet anyway. Neither of them were ready for that. Despite Jim’s best efforts to piss him off he was really rather fond of him, felt some kind of protectiveness toward him and he knew Jim relied on him as well. 

Yeah they could use a night for just the two of them.

***

Doing his best to stick to his doctor’s orders Jim passed on his usual afternoon workout in favour of relaxing in his dorm room, trying to ignore his roommate, who was studiously trying to talk his ear off about the latest female cadet he was trying to woo. 

“I mean she was into me Kirk, really into me”

“Oh yeah?” Jim said absently thumbing through his PADD for any work he’d missed. 

“Yeah man. I don’t even know her last name”

Now Jim’s ears pricked up. “What did you say her name was again?”

“Cadet Uhura. Do you know her?”

Kind of. 

“Uh I know of her, that’s about it. I haven’t had much to do with her”

“That’s cool. Do you mind if I bring her back to the dorm one night?”

Jim glanced up, trying to keep the smirk off her face. “Sure, just give me some warning or something so I don’t interrupt. You’ve got my comm.” 

“Thanks”

After that they were silent: and Jim suppressed a chuckle. It wasn’t that his roommate was hopeless with the ladies: it was just that he’d been trying to hook up with Uhura for months now. She was damn attractive with her tall lithe form and all that dark hair: he’d been attracted to her ever since that fateful day in the bar in Iowa. Apparently though she didn’t socialise with cadets. He’d keep trying. 

A little after 1800 hours his comm chirped and he headed over to Bones dorm, a few PADD’s tucked under his arm. The delicious aroma of fresh lasagna greeted him as he stepped into the warm apartment. Man Bone’s digs were better than his, he would have killed to have the space the other man had. He’d spent many a night curled up on the couch working, and sometimes sleeping off a hangover or just collapsed in exhaustion after a particularly hard day. 

“You snag this from the mess?” he asked, digging in. 

“Maybe. You keep off that foot?”

“Maybe. Mom” 

Bones chuckled wryly and reached for a half-drunk bottle of bourbon he kept stashed in his cabinets. He didn’t indulge very often, but Jim knew he liked a tipple every now and then, and he didn’t mind indulging with him. 

“So you gonna come watch my game on Thursday night?” Jim asked, leaning back in his chair. 

Bones raised on eyebrow so high Jim was worried it would disappear into his hairline. 

“Oh come on! When have I ever asked you to do something for me. Actually don’t answer that” Jim laughed. 

“I’ll come if you want me too kid, you know I will” 

“Thanks. I know you don’t approve”

Bones raised that eyebrow again. “Jim if I let my disapproval of half of what you get up to get to me, I’d never leave the house”


	6. Chapter 6

Avery Scott was just finishing up his forensic pathology seminar when his comm unit chirped. It was from Admiral Todd himself, the top brass of this place. Must be important then he thought as he made his way past Archer Hall to the administration building, taking the turbo-lift to the top floor. He found the right office and knocked smartly on the door. 

“Come”

Admiral Todd was a bit of an old todger he realised as he stepped inside the smartly furnished office, snapping off a smart salute as the older man rose to his feet. 

“At ease cadet. You’re probably wondering why I called you in here today aren’t you?”

Avery nodded. “Yes Sir I am actually” 

Todd sat again, motioning for Avery to take the other chair positioned opposite his desk. He noticed a small scale model of the new Constitution class starship sitting on the oak surface. Man those things were beauties. 

“Well there’s something I want to discuss with you. I’ve also called Commander Jude here too, the head of Starfleet Medical to join us. I think you’ll like what she has to say. In the meantime, how are you finding everything here?”

Avery shrugged. “It’s good Sir, an adjustment sure, but good. I’m looking forward to getting a chance to use my medical training”

Todd smiled. “That’s good. Ah, Commander Jude thank you for joining us. This is cadet Avery Scott the one I told you about”

Avery felt a faint prickle of unease slide down his spine at the thought that his name had been passed around by the big wigs. It made him uncomfortable. What had they said about him? 

Commander Jude smiled and shook his hand. “Ah, it’s nice to finally meet you Scott. Don’t look so worried we’ve only said good things about you. Sir?”

Admiral Todd took over. “This meeting today is about your application to begin medical work. We’ve done a little digging and based on your aptitude scores and your transcripts from university we’ve decided to place you on a clinical rotation duty roster. Starting immediately”

“Really Sir? That’s fantastic. I wasn’t expecting to begin clinic duty until next year. Thank you”

Commander Jude smiled. “Well you’ve earned it, even though you’ve only been here a short while. Your current clinic rotation will only be based purely on an experience level. So you’ll be the junior doctor on duty. The rules state that you must be accompanied at all times by a senior physician and that you are not to engage in any procedures of a serious nature, but as of Thursday you’ll be on duty in the infirmary. With the leading physician’s permission you will be able to diagnose and treat any minor ailments or injuries that may arise”

“Understood Ma’am, Sir. Thank you so much for this opportunity” 

“I’ll have the duty roster uploaded to your PADD by 1500 this afternoon. Do you have any questions Scott?” Todd asked, standing up. 

“No Sir. Everything is crystal clear. Thank you both again for this chance” Avery said, also rising. He shook first Todd, then Jude’s hand. 

“A pleasure. Welcome to the Starfleet medical team. I look forward to working with you in the future” 

“Thank you again”

***

Everything was a blur after that, he made it back to his dorm and by 1500 hours that afternoon he found a duty roster waiting in his data feed. His very first shift was tomorrow morning, and the leading physician was Dr Leonard H McCoy. Holy shit. How lucky was he? His first ever clinic shift and he was rostered on with his best friend. Len would surely give him a chance to prove himself. Hell maybe someone would hurt themselves and he’d get to assist. Sure it was below his level of skill, but he was patient. He could wait. 

It was a strange feeling going to bed that night knowing he’d be back in his white coat the next day. To be honest, he’d missed it – or maybe more accurately he’d missed the power that went along with it. Ever since Med school he’d played second fiddle to Leonard, never quite as gifted as the other man, never quite reaching the level of trust he garnered in his patients. Starfleet would be his chance to gain the professional respect he’d always dreamed of, to be finally seen for the brilliant doctor he was. And he was brilliant. That was for sure. 

As morning broke over the grounds Avery rose early and got dressed in the hideous cadet reds he so despised. Red was such an ugly colour, too bold and obvious. He much preferred his white coat and hopefully someday soon would be able to wear the blue uniform of a ships CMO. He knew Len had always wanted a commission as a CMO, in fact it was a dream that many people held, but few made it. Doctoring was hard, especially space doctoring, what with all the foreign diseases and such. Space was an endless ocean of infinite possibilities and he couldn’t wait to get out there. 

The grounds were quiet as he made his way to the infirmary, there was only one other cadet walking briskly around the grounds but Avery ignored him. instead trying to quell his nerves. First day jitters he told himself as the doors swept open, revealing the brightly illuminated room, the rows of biobeds lined up like soldiers ready for battle. He loved it. 

“Hey Len. Fancy seeing you here?” he called as he strode in, spying the other man at the data entry post. 

Len jumped a little. “Avery? What the devil are you doing here? You haven’t hurt yourself have you?”

Avery laughed. “No, you won’t believe this Len but I got my clinic duty roster. I made it!” 

“Really? Wow well done” Len slapped him on the back. 

Avery nodded. “Yeah, thanks. It’s early I know. I had a meeting with Todd and Jude yesterday afternoon. They said they couldn’t ignore my exceptional training and track record any longer so they accelerated by application. Amazing huh?”

Len nodded. “Yes it is. Well done though, you’re a fine doctor. The lounge is in there, a locker was cleared yesterday for you and you should find your uniform and other necessaries in there. Once you’re kitted out come back and join me and I’ll show you around”

Avery nodded and headed off to the lounge, which was a dimly lit room containing a bed and couch as well as a few small amenities. A coffee machine whirred softly from the counter top and it was a peaceful room for people to decompress in after a long and difficult shift. He found his locker and changed, stowing his belongings before heading back out to meet Len, who looked to be recalibrating one of the dermal regen units. Man he hadn’t seen one of those for a while now. 

“Right, it’s all pretty straightforward really. The biobeds are all calibrated and ready for the next patient. All the medication and hypos are kept here within easy reach. All the tissue and dermal regen units are here, the osteo stuff is here. It’s relatively quiet this morning so you may as well take a chance to familiarise yourself with everything here”

“Cool. So do you see much action around here?” Avery asked as he glanced over the gleaming counters, the instruments all ready for immediate use. Was it wrong of him to wish for someone to hurt themselves so he could get to work?

Len raised an eyebrow. “Not really. This is only the infirmary but occasionally we get some serious stuff. Most of that takes place over at Starfleet Medical. Have you been over there?”

“No. Should I go take a tour? Would they let a first year cadet? I mean it makes sense, seeing as how I might be working there one day”

“I’ve been there. In fact I’ve just put my application for duty roster in over there. Of course you’ll be eligible for that once you reach your second year, or higher”

Avery bristled slightly. He’d reach the medical facility far sooner than that, if he got his way. 

“So what do you do if there’s no patients?”

“Paperwork, or data entry or good-old fashioned cleaning. Come here I’ll show you the system”

Avery groaned inwardly at having to do manual labour, but stepped closer as Leonard showed him the computer system and how the various data was entered in. It didn’t seem too hard and as he glanced through the list of files he couldn’t help but stop on Kirk’s. 

“Guy comes in an awful lot doesn’t he?” he asked, flicking absently through it. Lots of injuries: muscle strains and tears, concussion, allergic reactions and most recently a sprained ankle. Interesting. 

Len frowned and shut the file. “No more than usual. Why don’t you come reset this for me?”

Avery smirked. “You like him don’t you?”

“Of course I do. He’s my best friend. You know we can’t just go through medical records don’t you? We can’t invade people’s privacy like that”

“Ok ok, relax Len. I was only looking. I’m curious, he’s such a celeb around here”

Leonard grumbled something under his breath but continued on with what he was doing. Avery chuckled. 

“You sure know how to find them Len, I’ll give you that. Always had a habit for picking up strays, even back at Ole Miss”

Leonard scowled and reached for his coffee mug. “I’d hardly classify Jim Kirk as a stray Avery”

Avery nodded and turned back to recalibrating one of the osteo units. It was dull, mind-numbing work but in a way he was glad. 

At least this was where he wanted to be. For now anyway.


	7. Chapter 7

Much to Avery Scott’s delight he got his opportunity to jump straight into medical practise only the very next day. For most of the day his shift had been painfully dull, only a few minor injuries but Len had assured him that things would pick up come the afternoon and early evening. Apparently there was a Parisi Square’s match that night, just one in a series that would surely promise multiple cases for him to work on. 

Unfortunately (and perhaps fortunately for one Jim Kirk), Kirk wasn’t one of the cadets that got injured during the game. That was a damn shame because Avery really would have appreciated a chance to get a look at Kirk’s medical records. They would surely be full of interesting information, stuff he could put to use one day. 

Right now though the very man in question was entering the sickbay, supporting another cadet who was limping heavily and trying to mop up an impressive bloody nose. Both cadets were flushed and excited-looking adrenaline pumping through their bodies. Leonard immediately stepped up, taking the cadet to a bed. 

Avery stepped up: ready to assist when he was needed, half expecting to be asked to direct the case. Len didn’t say anything to him though, just went about ascertaining the damage done to the cadet. Jim watched closely, adding helpful information when he could. 

“Could you hand me that box of tissues please” Len instructed, barely glancing his way. 

“Sure” Avery said, familiar enough with Leonard’s methods to know that he favoured the old-fashioned remedies. In Leonard’s opinion there was sometimes nothing better than a tissue or a band-aid. 

“Just hold that there for a bit, squeeze tight” Leonard instructed, moving onto the next injury. He gently palpated the cadet’s wrist. Dutifully, Avery took notes, wishing he could step in and lead. The cadet was fine. 

“What happened?” Leonard asked. 

“She took a jab and landed hard after a quick move” Jim spoke up. 

“Yeah, I shouldn’t have dived so hard but we won” the cadet smiled. 

Leonard rolled his eyes. “You two are as bad as each other. This is fine though: it’s only sprained. The ankle too. Ice it tonight and rest it. No more Parisi Squares until you come back to see me in a couple of days. If you have any trouble with it, come back and see me”

“Thanks Doctor” the cadet said, smiling gratefully before she limped out of the infirmary, 

“Thanks Bones” Jim called as he escorted his friend from the room. 

“And that’s how it’s done” Leonard grinned.

***

Jim’s ankle was throbbing by the time the match ended, thanks in part to his vigorous activity and also to the jaunt to the infirmary. Thankfully his friend Hara wasn’t too badly injured, which was awesome because she was one of the team’s best players. Despite her injury they’d won, which placed them in the grand final next week. 

As he walked home though he couldn’t help the weird feeling that stole over him. It had been a shock seeing Avery in the infirmary, working as a doctor no less. Jim had known he was a doctor though, after all Avery made near constant references to their shared medical training whenever he could. It shouldn’t be a surprise. But still, Jim’s surprise had been intermingled with a strange sense of unease. While Bones was gruff, and spent a lot of time grumbling his bedside manner was truly something to behold. He was gentle, caring and one of the best doctors Jim had ever had the privilege of knowing. Avery was just…weird. 

It wasn’t really any of Jim’s business though. It wasn’t his place to be worrying about someone’s bedside manner, after all maybe it was something that would be refined and perfected as the training went on. He didn’t know, the only thing he knew was that he didn’t want to have to be anywhere near Avery Scott, especially if he’d hurt himself. Bones was his one and only doctor. 

Speaking of the good doctor, he was pleased he’d managed to make it to the last few moments of the match, even if he wasn’t playing. 

“So did you like the game? Or what you saw of it anyway” Jim asked as the two made their way out of the indoor stadium. 

“It was a damn shambles” Bones grumbled, pulling his coat more tightly around his shoulders. 

Jim chuckled and puffed a breath of mist into the night sky, watching it swirl away. He liked the cold. 

“You know you might get more enjoyment out of it if you actually play it”

“Count me out kid. With the amount of times you keep harping on at me I thought you would have learned by now”

“Learned what?” Jim asked impishly. 

Bones rolled his eyes. “I’m not a sports player. Not football, or soccer or tennis and especially not Parisi Squares”

“Ever?”

That eyebrow rose again. Jim was going to start referring to it as the eyebrow of doom. 

“Never”

***

From the shadows of the indoor stadium Avery watched, scowling. Kirk hadn’t been injured in the game tonight but if he had his way that would all change soon enough. He’d tried to deal with it, tried to be friendly to the other man but enough was enough. Jim Kirk was a liability who in his opinion shouldn’t be alive in the first place. 

After all why should he have survived when his father hadn’t?


	8. Chapter 8

“So you ready for this?” 

Jim grinned. “I think the question is, are _you_ ready for this?”

Jen rolled her eyes and lightly punched his shoulder as they continued on toward the flight hanger. Today was the day. Jim was going to get his chance at piloting a shuttle for the first time with Nova Squadron. Of course he’d piloted shuttles before but the Nova standards were so much higher. It was a little nerve wracking, but only a little. 

“Whatever you say Kirk. Just don’t kill us out there all right? We may not be technically off the ground, but shit can still happen” Jen said, flashing her ID card at the security guard posted out the front of the hanger. Because the sim was scheduled for such an early hour it was necessary for the guard to be there, lest any unwanted visitor come knocking. Jim flashed his own card and they went in. 

Straight away Commander Boone called them over and they joined the rest of the squad for the briefing. 

“Alright folks today’s exercises are going to proceed just like last week. We’ll begin by ascending to 15000 feet then move into the combat position where you will then break into the first manoeuvre. As you received in your pre-flight briefing papers we’ve decided to conduct the manoeuvres within Earth’s gravitational field. I know you all wanted to get out there but we’ll save it for conditions more favourable. Of course you’ve all clocked multiple hours in the sims and even though ‘technically’ you won’t be off the ground, this flight is to be treated as such. It’s important training for when you do get a chance to pilot one of the shuttles. Everything clear?”

“Yes Sir” the cadre chimed. 

Boone nodded. “Ok then, everyone to your stations. Remember you won’t be totally alone up there, I’ll be monitoring your frequencies and telemetry will be recorded and stored for our de-briefing later this morning”

With that the cadets moved off to their sims, Jen following behind Jim as they stepped aboard their ship, the _Corby_. Jim felt his usual sense of calm wash over him as he took the pilot’s seat, flicking various buttons and monitoring the displays of the sim. 

“All controls cross-checked and within usual parameters. It’s a little windy up there so take us up nice and steady. Telemetry set to record. Take us up Kirk” Jen instructed from her position. 

Jim took a steady breath as he set both hands on the controls, pulling back on the throttle and moving the sim up through the atmosphere. Immediately he could feel the wind buffeting the small craft and even though they were still in the hanger bay it was remarkably lifelike. Right now his controls were telling him they were approximately 10000 feet above the ground, the craft listing slightly to the left in the wind. 

“Adjust to the left and prepare for first manoeuvre” 

Jim nodded and did just that, moving easily through the first position. 

“So far so good” he said, winking at Jen. 

Jen chuckled. “Just like you said right? You weren’t worried were you Kirk?”

“Nah” 

Jen shook her head and glanced back at her console, a slight frown creasing her brow. 

“What is it?” Jim asked, holding the craft steady. Man the wind was really blowing up here. 

“Our engine output’s way too high for the fuel consumption. Looks like we’ve got a leak somewhere in the system. Running a diagnostics check again” 

“Copy that” Jim made several adjustments on his own console while Jen tried to figure out what was wrong with the sim. Had Jim missed something during their pre-flight check? He didn’t think so, but accidents and mistakes did happen and he wasn’t above them. 

“Did I miss something?” he asked. 

Jen glanced over. “I don’t think so Jim. I checked the system out before we boarded and I didn’t catch anything. We’re down to 60% fuel. I think we’re going to have to let Boone know”

“Ok. I’ll do it” Jim said, paging for the Commander. He knew in a real situation he wouldn’t be able to rely on the other man for help – he’d have to fix it on his own. Briefly he felt a crushing sense of disappointment. 

“Commander Boone this is the _Corby_. We’ve discovered a problem with the fuel consumption and my co-pilot had advised me to abort this flight. Waiting on your instructions Sir” Jim said, trying to keep the shuttle steady as she rocked hard to the left. Luckily they still had their seatbelts on: otherwise they’d be on the floor. 

A moment later Boone’s voice cracked over the intercom. 

“Understood Kirk. We’ve received your report and analysis. Hastings is a reliable pilot and after consideration I’m advising you abort the flight and return to the base. We’ll discuss the mission once you’re back”

“Acknowledged Sir. Returning to the base now” Jim said, turning back to his console and beginning the sequence for their descent. 

“Don’t beat yourself up Jim. Happens to the best of us” Jen said after a moment. 

“Yeah I know. I just wish…”

His voice was cut off as the shuttle rocked violently. Jim didn’t have time to ascertain the cause when they were sent careening wildly off course, the controls and displays flickering, various alarms beeping wildly as the shuttle rocked and spun. 

“What’s going on cadet?” Boone’s voice crackled over the intercom. 

With difficulty Kirk tried to stabilise the craft, the seatbelt digging sharply into his chest as the shuttle rocked. 

“I’m not sure Sir! We’re loosing displays and control!” 

“Fuel consumption is down to 20%” Jen called, her own hands flying over the consoles as she tried desperately to regain some sort of control. 

It was becoming increasingly hard to make sense of which direction they were travelling, the spinning was making Jim dizzy and the shuttle was completely out of his control. Suddenly the controls gave one final wink before they died completely, leaving the shuttle eerily quiet. Somehow the screen remained on, and they were afforded a terrifying view of the ground rushing up to meet them in a head-on collision. 

They met the ground with a sickening crunch, the on-board lights flickering briefly while the sim powered down. Jim had fallen against the console, blood dripping steadily down his forehead, painting his vision red. The safety belt had cut into his chest and he squeezed his eyes shut against the wave of nausea. 

“Jen? You ok?” he called, dimly registering that his voice sounded tinny and unreal. 

Jen didn’t answer and Jim forced his eyes open, blinking through the swirling smoke. Man the sim was totally screwed. 

“Jen?” 

Holy shit she wasn’t moving, lying at an awkward angle over the console, having fallen in a similar way due to the safety harness. The display was a red wash and Jen wasn’t fucking moving. Grunting against the pain Jim struggled to sit up, retching against the pain. He didn’t know what the hell had happened but outside he could faintly make out voices and thumping against the steel hull of the sim. 

Struggling, his hands slick with a mixture of sweat and blood he managed to undo the safety harness and scramble over to where Jen still lay slumped on the console. Remembering the scant medical training he’d received as part of his space survivability course, he checked for a pulse. It was weak and unsteady, Jen’s skin clammy. It looked like she had a bad case of shock, and Jim knew that wasn’t good. Shock could kill a person, and quickly. 

“Jen? Come on open those eyes for me” Jim urged, trying not to move her in case of a spinal injury. Gently he brushed her hair off her forehead, exposing a large gash that was steadily seeping blood. He didn’t have anything to patch it with, so all he could do was wait while the people outside worked on getting the door open. The room was smoky and still, smelling thickly of blood and sweat mingled with fear. It was an emotion foreign to him and he remained on the floor, shaking and at a loss.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if I made a few little mistakes here. :)

Leonard was just about to sign off when the call came through. Emergency. Flight hanger. Two casualties. Ignoring the crushing exhaustion that stole through him he grabbed his emergency med kit and cleared a space, barking orders for the junior doctor on hand to page Starfleet Medical and have them on call in case they needed a transport. The comm had been brief so he had no real way of knowing what had happened, or what to expect. How badly were the two cadets injured? Who were they? 

Not a moment after the call things ramped into overdrive as the cadets were brought in by a team from Starfleet Medical. Apparently they’d been the closest to the hanger and had sent emergency personnel to the site. 

“What happened?” he barked as he grabbed a scanner and held it over the nearest cadet, a young woman with blood matted thickly in her blonde hair. There was a large gash on her forehead that was still bleeding, so he ran his scanner over that to ascertain the level of damage. Nothing too serious, but it would need several treatments with a dermal regen unit to knit the skin and muscle together. 

“A flight simulation went haywire, the system crashed and it sent them spinning down to the ground from a height of several hundred meters. This is Jenny Hastings, the co-pilot” someone said. 

“How long has she been unconscious?” 

“In and out since we got her out of the sim. The other cadet said he was trying to keep her awake”

Leonard nodded and turned back to Jenny, snapping a regen unit over the gash in her forehead. His scanner hadn’t indicated any internal brain damage, but he needed to get her conscious and talking. A knock to the head was always a serious injury, especially one that resulted in a loss of consciousness. 

“Jenny I’m Doctor McCoy can you hear me? Open your eyes for me jenny” he instructed, running his scanner over the rest of her body. Thankfully he found nothing more than superficial bruises and cuts, and a nasty case of whiplash from the safety harness. It had also cut into her skin, leaving her with an already-forming bruise. She’d be sore and stiff for a few weeks but her injuries weren’t life threatening. 

Her eyes fluttered and she groaned weakly. 

“That’s it Jenny, it’s alright. You’re in the infirmary. Do you know what happened today?”

Jenny blinked. “The…shuttle…crashed…fuel…consumption…failed”

“Keep talking to me Jenny I’m going to give you something that’s going to help with the pain” Leonard gently pressed a hypo against her neck and reached for a tri-ox compound to assist with breathing. Her vascular tone was a little thready and her skin was clammy. Shock was clearly a factor here and he needed to work fast to keep her conscious. 

“There we go, you’re going to be ok Jenny. Do you have any pain apart from your head?”

Jenny slowly shook her head. “No, feel sick though. Where’s Jim?”

Leonard blinked. Jim? What the hell?

“Jim? Who’s Jim?”

Jenny squeezed her eyes shut again. “Kirk…he was the…pilot”

God damn it. Leonard had known Jim was doing a shuttle sim that morning but it had escaped his mind. Satisfied that Jenny would be alright for a moment he turned his attention to the other patient. 

“What’s happened here?” he asked, grabbing a scanner. 

“Bones! Bones we crashed I couldn’t control…is Jen ok?” Jim’s voice was breathy and unsteady, his face pale and blood-stained. He also had a nasty gash on his forehead and bruising around his collar bone and abdomen. 

“Jenny’s going to be fine Jim, just lie back now. Be still it’s ok. Do you have any pain I should know about?”

Jim shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. “No, just my head and my chest”

Leonard ran a scanner over him, thankfully finding nothing more than heavy bruising. The harness had cut into his chest as well. God damn it, while those things had probably saved Jim’s life they’d done a fair bit of damage in the process. 

Quickly he punched controls into the biobed, establishing a sterile field and stable field, pleased to note the Starfleet Medical crew were doing the same to Jenny. While he was pretty sure that neither cadet had sustained spinal injuries he couldn’t be sure until the biobed conducted a more conclusive scan. Whiplash could be a nasty injury to deal with. 

“Just lie still now Jim, it’s going to be ok” he said, setting up the scan. A moment later the console chirped and he was given the results. Jim hadn’t fractured any of the vertebrae in his neck, but had significant bruising on his chest and various cuts and lacerations, the most serious being the one on his forehead. 

Lucky bastard. 

Jim nodded and brushed a shaking hand over his face. “Go see if Jen’s ok”

Leonard patted his shoulder comfortingly and crossed to the other bed, reaching for the bio readout confirming Jen’s injuries were nothing more serious than Jim’s. Thank God. 

“I think I’ve got everything under control here. Thanks guys” he told the two paramedics, who saluted him quickly before they headed outside, leaving Leonard and the other doctor to conduct the few remaining scans and tests. 

After that it was just a matter of making the patients comfortable so they could rest and recover for the de-brief, which if Leonard had anything to do with it, wouldn’t happen for another couple of days. He didn’t give a shit what the brass said, in here he was more qualified and if he didn’t clear his patients for duty than they weren’t to be disturbed. 

And if Leonard had to sit in front of their damn beds all night, then by god that’s what he would do.


	10. Chapter 10

“Jim you need to lie down. _Down_ kid, there we go” 

Jim struggled to sit up again but was met with the firm yet gentle push of Bones hand as he helped him back down. He had no idea how long he’d been in sick -bay, but he needed to move. Now. Everything hurt, from his head and chest to his legs. He still felt faintly sick, woozy from the knock on the head. 

“Bones I need to get…” 

Bones shook his head. “No you don’t. Just stay there. You’ve had a knock to the head, so just lie still. Everything is under control”

Jim squinted in the harsh lights, his eyes hurting. “Is Jen ok?”

Bones nodded. “Yes she’s all right. Lights dim to 30%”

There, that was better Jim thought as the lights dimmed. How hard had he hit his head? 

“You have a mild concussion Jim. How’s your pain level today?”

“I’m fine. How long was I out? Did you drug me?”

Bones shook his head. “Of course not. You’ve only been asleep for about 12 hours. Do you remember what happened?”

Jim scrubbed a hand over his face. “I remember the shuttle malfunctioned, I couldn’t get control. Something about the fuel consumption and engine output ratio, they were totally out of whack. We’d begun our descent back to the base when we lost all power. I couldn’t do anything at all. The last thing I remember is trying to pull up before we hit the ground”

“You’re damn lucky to be alive and relatively unscathed. You could have done some serious damage. As it is you’ve got a mild concussion, some pretty serious bruising and a case of whiplash. Jen too, although she was unconscious when she was brought in”

Jim sat up, blinking against the sudden shift in the room. “Is she awake?”

Bones nodded “Yes she’s awake but I don’t want you moving. Just rest. Your neck is going to be stiff for a few weeks and I don’t want you causing more damage. What?”

Jim fought off an inappropriate chuckle. “The Viagra got stuck on the way down”

Bones stared at him for a moment before he rolled his eyes. “What’s it like having a mind of pure filth? Honestly”

Jim grinned. “Endlessly entertaining. Seriously though I need to get up. I have to use the bathroom”

Bones frowned. “Fine, but take it easy”

Jim nodded and carefully sat up, closing his eyes against the faint dizziness that still prevailed. His head still thumped occasionally but it wasn’t too bad. Absently he rubbed his chest, wincing as he touched the bruises from the safety harness. Guess he should be lucky he hadn’t done more damage he mused as he made his way slowly across the quiet room. He spotted Jen in another bed, curled on her side asleep so he let her be, making quick use of the toilet and refusing to look at himself in the mirror. 

“So when are you going to let me out of here?” he asked once he was back on the bed. Bones walked over and immediately pressed a hypo against his neck. 

“Not yet”

“Ow, what was that for? You get far too much enjoyment out of doing that I swear” Jim rubbed his neck, scowling. 

“Don’t be such an infant. That was for the pain thank you very much. Can’t have you lying around here in agony can we?”

“I feel fine Bones. In fact I think you can let me out of here”

“Jim you were just in a serious accident, and even though it was only a training sim you’ve got some injuries that need monitoring. All right? So let me do my damn job” Bones griped, his fingers tapping on the screen of the PADD he was holding. 

Jim sighed and rested back against his pillows. “Can I at least have a PADD so I can do some work?”

“No. If you’re lucky I’ll let you leave this afternoon. But only if you do everything I say”

“Yes Master”

That made Bones smile. “Good. Quicker next time”

Jim chuckled and waved him off, loosing a breath and closing his eyes for a moment, staring at the back of his eyelids. Now that he was out of danger he couldn’t help but wonder what had caused the malfunction. Those sims were well-maintained and underwent weekly tests and recalibrations, especially with the amount of use they received. They just didn’t malfunction for no apparent reason, there had to be a cause. 

“Hey Bones has there been any word when the de-brief is going to take place?” he asked after a few moments of silence. 

Bones glanced up. “Commander Boone hasn’t sent any kind of word, well not to me anyway. I can’t imagine he’d want to wait though, but he’d want all his team there. You won’t miss out Jim”

“It’s not even that I’m worried about” Jim said absently, wishing he had his PADD. Maybe there was a communiqué waiting for him. He didn’t want to miss it. 

“What’s on your mind?”

Jim shook his head. “Oh nothing, just wondering what caused the malfunction is all. We lost total control Bones, I couldn’t do anything to stop it”

Bones rested a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not your fault Jim. Anyone in your position would have done the same thing with the same results”

“Yeah” Jim said, but he wasn’t convinced. He should have been able to do more, should have been able to stop their sudden plummet and the disastrous landing. If only he’d been a better pilot, Jen wouldn’t be hurt and he’d be one step closer to achieving his dream. Everything seemed up in the air at the moment. 

“I’m serious kid. Don’t beat yourself up about this. You lost all auxiliary power and had no way of getting it back. Boone wouldn’t have been able to do anything, hell even Captain Pike would be stuck. You’ll discuss it and go over everything in the briefing, so please don’t worry”

Jim nodded but his mind was whirling. An ugly thought had just occurred to him but he wasn’t going to say anything yet as he had no way to prove it. Sabotage. Everyone knew the Academy was ridiculously competitive and while nothing serious had happened while he’d been here, he wouldn’t put it past certain people. Cadets wanted to be the best, in fact they were encouraged to and those that fell behind soon dropped out all together, rather that than face a career of mediocrity. 

Right now though there was nothing he could do except wait for the de-briefing. He’d have more information then, more to go on. He wasn’t about to go off making accusations when he had no proof – that wasn’t his style. 

For now he’d wait.

***

Much to his relief Jim was released from the infirmary that afternoon on Bones strict orders to take it easy. He’d been excused from duty for the next day (much to his disgust) but later that night received a message on his PADD informing him that Boone’s Squadron de-brief would take place the next day in an interview room of the administration building at 10. 

That was fine by him, and he chafed at the bit until the time rolled around, donning his jacket against the chilly breeze and threatening rain as he made his way to the building. Word of the shuttle malfunction had spread through the campus and he was the subject of a few curious glances as he walked, making it inside just as the heavens opened. He tapped his foot impatiently as the turbolift carried him to the right floor, meeting several of his fellow squad along the way. 

Boone was already waiting inside so he took a seat toward the back, keeping his eyes trained on the front as the room filled quickly. Even though he was only new to the squad several people inquired about his wellbeing, which was nice. He assured them all he was fine, even though his chest and neck still ached. 

“Alright, thank you all for joining us today. Unfortunately not everyone is here today. Hastings is still in the infirmary, but I’ve been assured she’ll be back to flight status in a week or so. I want to extend my condolences and also say how damn pleased I am that we didn’t suffer a more serious loss. Kirk you did well to keep the injuries to a minimum, but we’ll get to that in a moment. For now I want you all to look at this”

Boone produced a length of hose and set it on he table in front of him. Jim recognised it as the hosing from the back of the sim’s hull. It was the primary fuel line and fed directly into the readings on the console. This was the piece of machinery that had malfunctioned which led to the crash. He leant forward to get a better look. 

Boone picked it up, running a fingertip over the end. “Following the accident yesterday I had the sim put on standby and examined. The engineers went over every aspect of the sims hull, and this as you can imagine, caused them some pause. It’s been deliberately cut with some kind of instrument. At first I wasn’t so sure and asked them to take another look, but upon closer inspection it’s quite obvious that this was cut”

The room was silent, the only sound the pattering rain and the heavy disbelief in the room. Boone cleared his throat. 

“I debated whether or not to show any of you this, but after careful consideration and consultation with Admiral Todd we deemed it necessary. I don’t want to throw around accusations, but sabotage is a serious crime and you all know the Academy has a strict zero=tolerance policy regarding the matter. Just in case some of you were wondering, Kirk and Hastings sim was the only one suffering from a fuel line cut like this, all other sims have been certified safe for use by the engineers. So that leaves us with an interesting dilemma”

The room was still silent and Jim swallowed hard. If his shuttle had been the only one damaged it stood to mean that someone was out to get him – or Jen. As far as he knew he didn’t have any enemies, apart from the usual friendly competition with some of the guys he got on well with most of the student population. He couldn’t say the same for Jen though but had the uneasy feeling that this attack wasn’t meant for her. She’d been an innocent bystander who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Surely whoever had done this would have to have known that. 

“I understand Kirk is the newest member of our squad and also understand that he has a lot to prove before you all consider him one of us, but if this was some attempt at hazing then the culprit will be expelled faster than warp speed. Hazing and the singling out of cadets is strictly prohibited and while the Academy and myself do understand that these squads are fiercely competitive, actions of this serious a nature will not be tolerated”

“As of right now this squad is under investigation concerning the events of yesterday and the day before. The flight hanger’s are surveillance monitored so we will catch whoever had access to the sims before the exercise. You are each going to be given a time slot for an intensive interview that will be conducted over the next few days in which you are to provide any and all information regarding the squadron and your own personal actions these past few days. Failure to attend this interview will result in serious consequences. Until then all flight training is suspended and anyone caught lingering in or near the hanger will be questioned. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes Sir”

Boone took a breath. “All right. Your interview timeslot will be uploaded to your PADD’s in the next few hours. Are there any questions?”

No one raised a hand. 

Boone nodded. “Right then. You’re all dismissed save for you Kirk. I want a word if you don’t mind”

“Yes Sir” Kirk moved off to the side as the rest of the squad filtered from the room. Once they were gone Boone motioned for him to shut the door, affording them some privacy. 

“I want to commend you on your actions yesterday Kirk” he said after a few moments of close scrutiny. Jim knew he wasn’t looking his best, dark shadows under his eyes, his face a little pale and wan with a small white bandage on his forehead just under his hairline. 

“You do sir?” 

Boone nodded. “Yes I do. You and Hastings were performing the exercise admirably and competently before it all went to hell. You were able to identify the source of the problem quickly which led you to determine the appropriate course of action. You didn’t panic, even though you lost total control. How do you feel about what happened yesterday?”

Jim shook his head. “I honestly don’t know Sir. I can’t help but think I should have been able to do more”

“What could you have done? The sim was dead and I don’t think anyone could have regained control. No Kirk, you did everything you could and for that I’m proud. Hastings will be too once she’s released from the infirmary. You both performed exactly the way I would have”

“Thank you Sir”

Boone stared at him for a moment and Jim got the impression that the other man was appraising him, testing his measure. 

“Don’t beat yourself up about this Kirk. All your pre-flight checks were accurate and neither of you missed anything. You couldn’t have found this until the simulation was under way. It was a very well concealed problem. You can rest assured that you did nothing wrong”

Jim nodded, feeling a small measure of relief at his Commanders words. He’d known he hadn’t done anything wrong, but to hear it from his commanding officer was a relief nonetheless. Now he knew for sure. 

“I will Sir”

“Alright then, I understand you’ve been relieved of duty for the rest of the day so I’ll let you go. Your interview timeslot will be uploaded this afternoon. Get some rest cadet”

Jim nodded and saluted before he was dismissed, standing for a moment outside the door unsure what to do next. Everywhere around him people went about their daily business but he felt like his life had fundamentally changed, and all in the last day. Someone had tried to kill him he was sure of it, even though Bones would say he was being paranoid. Well that was bullshit because they had proof. The fuel line had been cut and everything had gone to shit. 

It was strange knowing someone had it in for him and he wracked his brain trying to think of any enemies he may have encountered in his year here. None immediately came to mind: he had friendly competitions with a few of the other male cadets but it was all fun and games, a way for them to push themselves. It wasn’t anything life and death, not by any means. It wasn’t any number of the girls he’d slept with either: they were nothing more than flings that ended mutually. As far as he knew he didn’t have a single enemy but as soon as he thought that he realised something. It was barely there, just a hint of an idea but it was the strongest thing he had so far. 

The only person who seemed to display an open dislike of him was Bones friend Avery. Despite Jim’s efforts the two hadn’t gelled well and Jim had decided to maintain his distance. He didn’t know much about the other cadet: Avery had come out of nowhere and kept all his personal information very close to the chest. Jim didn’t want to start anything by directly accusing him, but he was the best bet so far. 

Maybe it was time to do some digging of his own.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, had some RL stuff going on. :)

“Take it easy for the next few days and if you have any pain come back and see me” Leonard said a few days later as he gave Cadet Jen Hastings the all clear. She’d recovered quickly after a few days rest and he was pleased to see she exhibited no further symptoms. The gash on her forehead wouldn’t even scar, thanks to the treatment with the dermal knitter. 

From beside him Avery tapped on the entry log, updating files he presumed. The other man had been a little distant lately, but Leonard put it down to his new shifts. It could sometimes take a little while to adjust to working dual jobs, and the difference between cadet and Doctor was quite pronounced. 

“Thanks so much Doctor” Jen said as she hopped off the bed and went on her way. 

“You can update her medical record please Avery. It should be at the top of the data stream” he said as he cleaned up, replacing the instruments he’d used and remaking the bed. Avery had said on numerous occasions that he didn’t like manual labour, but Leonard didn’t mind it. He’d always liked working with his hands and it always helped to stay grounded. 

“Alright. Want me to do Kirk’s while I’m here?” the other man asked, bringing up Hastings record. He made a few notes about her discharge. 

“Sure. I’m just going to grab a coffee, do you want one?” Leonard asked, trying to ignore the sense of unease he got at letting Avery go through Jim’s record. There was nothing in there to hide, but it made him uncomfortable. He needed to get over it though, Avery was a doctor and he needed to have access to all cadet’s records in order to treat them. He couldn’t be this protective forever.

“Not for me. I hate coffee” Avery said, Jim’s file already open on the screen before him. 

Leonard shook his head as he went to the lounge, grabbing his usual mug and waiting for the brew to boil. The coffee here was pretty shit, but for his last birthday Jim had given him some real coffee beans so he didn’t have to put up with this replicated crap. It had been one of the best gifts he’d ever received and he didn’t want to waste it on someone who didn’t like coffee in the first place. As a medical student he’d grown somewhat addicted to the stuff, at least according to Jim anyway and he couldn’t function without at least one cup under his belt. 

God he was glad Jim was alright: that shuttle accident had been rather serious – more so than he’d told the kid. He had a feeling Jim knew though, and he was curious as to what information the debriefing would uncover. Jim said he would let him know later that day. News of the accident had spread around the campus like wildfire and Leonard knew Jim would face the brunt of the curiosity – Jen too. It was only natural really but he was glad he wasn’t really involved. He couldn’t handle that kind of scrutiny and promised himself he’d be there for Jim in the coming weeks. 

Once the fuss died down and the cause was uncovered things would go back to normal and for that Leonard was glad. He didn’t really like change and fuss, but with someone like Jim in his life he knew it would follow them both.

***

While Leonard was in the lounge Avery updated Hastings medical record before he opened Kirk’s, his eyes soaking up the information like a sponge. 

 

PATIENT NAME – JAMES TIBERIUS KIRK  
PHYSICIAN – Leonard H McCoy  
BORN – 4th January. 2233.04, medical shuttle 37. Space.   
MOTHER – Winona Kirk  
FATHER – George Kirk (deceased)  
SIBLINGS – elder brother Samuel.   
EYE COLOUR – blue  
ALLERGIES – strawberries, penicillin, bee stings, walnuts.   
BLOOD TYPE – A pos  
INJURIES TO DATE – broken wrist, torn right ACL, mild concussion, sprained ankle, whiplash, bruising. 

On the record went, detailing far more than Avery had even imagined. It seemed Kirk was a magnet for trouble, and had sustained some pretty serious injuries over his last year at Starfleet. It was all hugely interesting and he made a copy of the file and sent it to his PADD, going back to make sure he erased his trail. Wouldn’t do to have the good doctor McCoy find out about all this, especially seeing how close he was to the other man. Indeed most, if not all of Jim’s injuries had been treated by McCoy and interestingly Kirk hadn’t listed anyone as next of kin. He would have thought he’d have listed his mother or older brother, but no Jim hadn’t mentioned anyone. 

Just what kind of man was Jim Kirk? He was his father’s son, of that Avery was sure, even though he’d only heard stories of the great George Kirk from the history logs. Yeah well his wasn’t so damn great was he? And neither was his son. Everyone he’d met here all spoke highly of Kirk, like he was some kind of superhero, a legend among his peers and instructors alike. It wasn’t fair. Jim hadn’t done anything to garner that sort of reputation, other than be brilliant at his courses and extracurricular activities. It wasn’t fair, Avery would do anything to be held so highly in regard amongst his fellow class men. Even here in his chosen field he couldn’t seem to catch a break, always having to assist and never leading. It was bullshit. He deserved better than this. 

Leonard came wandering back then and Avery quickly flicked Kirk’s medical file off the screen. He’d have plenty of time to peruse it later on back at his quarters. 

“Len how long did you have to assist in surgeries before you started leading them?” he asked. 

Leonard sipped his coffee. “ I didn’t really have to. The position was already open to me and since I’d already received my training I stepped right into the role”

“So why am I doing this then? We got our degrees at the same time and yet I have to do this sort of stuff”

“I don’t think you’ll be doing this for long. I mean I’m on the senior duty roster now so I’ll soon apply for shifts over at Starfleet Medical. I’d imagine you’ll then be moved up the rank”

Avery nodded but he didn’t like the answer. He needed to be doing something, using his training and expertise to help people. Or hinder them. 

First on his list was one particular James Tiberius Kirk.

***

Kirk was heading toward the library after class the next day when his comm unit chirped. Ducking out of the steadily pouring rain he flicked it open. 

_Captain Pike requests your presence. 1610 hrs. Office 21. Admin building. Acknowledge._

Frowning he stared at the screen for a moment, wondering what on Earth Pike wanted him for. Sure he was his academic advisor, but everything was going well, academically speaking anyway. Exams weren’t for a few months yet, and he wasn’t worried about them anyway. The chrono on his wrist only gave him 10 minutes to high tail it to the admin building. 

_Kirk. Acknowledged._

Still puzzling over the communiqué Kirk zipped up his parka and headed off toward the building, hoping it was nothing serious. He’s been thinking about Avery all day and not in the good way. Seems his research into the other cadet’s background would have to wait, at least for now. 

Captain Pike was waiting in his office when Kirk arrived and he snapped to attention upon entering. Pike chuckled. 

“At ease Kirk. Sit down, make yourself comfortable” he said, stepping around him to close the door. Jim frowned but did as he was told, hanging his coat over the edge of the chair and hoping it didn’t drip too much water onto Pike’s office carpeting. He’d always liked this office, well except for the times he was brought in here to be reprimanded, (which wasn’t that often, really). It was warmly furnished with Pike’s cherry wood desk complimenting the burgundy carpet, accents of his life in space dotted around the room. 

“Is there something I can help you with Sir?” Jim asked after a moment. Pike came forward and leaned against the front of his desk, studying him for a moment. 

“Must have been a hell of a crash” he remarked, his eyes trained on the bandage still on Jim’s forehead. 

Jim felt his cheeks heat, unused to being watched so closely. Absently he raised a hand to his forehead. 

“Uh yeah I mean yes Sir. It was. We lost total aux power”

“And the other cadet?”

Jim blinked. “Jen, I mean Hastings is fine. A little banged up like me, but she’ll be ok”

“That’s good. I just wanted to get your take on things is all” 

“My take on things?”

Pike nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. Despite his advancing years there was still rather a lot of life in his blue eyes, and his face never quite lost any warmth, even when he was telling you off. Jim always felt like a naughty school boy around him, but secretly he was glad to have the other man in his corner. Pike had taken a pretty big gamble on him when he’d convinced him to enlist, and an even bigger gamble by taking him on as a student. He had a lot to pay back. 

“Yes, it can’t have been easy going through something like that, even though it was only a sim. These new ones we’re using are remarkably accurate, but even you have to know a complete loss of power is relatively uncommon. What are your feelings on the matter?”

Jim loosed a breath and ran a hand through his damp hair. “Honestly Sir? I don’t know what to think. Commander Boone said the fuel line had been cut. Nothing we could have done would have found it”

“But you don’t believe that?”

“I don’t know. Accidents happen: mistakes are made. You know that as well as anyone Sir”

Pike nodded and moved around to stand at the plate-glass window that afforded him a grand view of the Academy grounds and San Fran in the distance. Thick fog had rolled in off the bay and the only sound was the rain hitting the window. 

“Yes I suppose I do. I’ve read Commander Boone’s report on the matter and I don’t know what to make of it. It’s a potentially damaging situation for Starfleet and I hope it hasn’t turned you off”

“Turned me off? No Sir”

Pike turned around. “Must be difficult knowing something like this could have happened”

Jim blinked. “Yes Sir. I haven’t had my session with Boone yet but he’s advised me to try and compile a list of any potential enemies”

“Do you have any?”

Jim shook his head. “As far as I know Sir no. I mean for most of us it’s a friendly competition that can sometimes go too far, but I wouldn’t like to think of a cadet deliberately sabotaging another just to get ahead”

There it was. He’d said it, the big ugly S word. It was the first time he’d uttered the word since this whole event had happened. It felt good to get it out. 

“Is that what you think this was? Sabotage” Pike said flatly, latching onto the word. 

Jim squirmed slightly. “I don’t know Sir. Boone said the line was deliberately cut. Other than that I don’t know what to think”

Pike nodded. “I don’t think you should worry yourself too much about this. We’re working on it as we speak and we will discover who did this. Why might be a different question, but the culprit will be found out and brought to justice”

“Are you involved with the investigation Sir?”

“In a manner. I don’t want you to worry about it. Just do everything as normal, go to your classes do whatever else you do in your spare time. Keep up those test results, which are excellent by the way. Don’t think about it”

“Easier said than done” Jim muttered. 

Pike nodded. “I know. Surround yourself with friends and go about life as normal. Try not to think about this as you being singled out. We don’t know that yet”

Jim glanced up, keeping his voice level. “I don’t react well to people trying to kill me Sir. I want to know as much as the rest of you but with all due respect this wasn’t aimed at you. I was the one in the shuttle, Hastings too and we’re both lucky it wasn’t more serious. Forgive me Captain but I can’t help but want to do a little digging myself”

“I’m not sure that’s a wise idea son. But I know you won’t listen to me. Don’t treat this as permission but I won’t stand in your way just yet”

Jim nodded and the room was quiet for a moment. Pike loosed a breath. 

“You better get out of here now. Boone’s going to have my ass if he sees me encouraging you” he said wryly. 

Jim cracked a grin. “Understood Sir”

“Go on now. You’re dismissed” 

Jim nodded and grabbed his parka, hurrying from the office still unsure as to what had really happened. Had Pike given him permission to do some digging? While it sounded like it Jim knew he had to keep his activities on the down low. Official channels were already on the case, they didn’t need some young gun cadet blowing things up in their faces. 

Yeah it sounded just like Pike had given him permission and even though Jim would have done it anyway he felt even more like this was the right course of action. He’d find out who’d sabotaged the line, then he’d hand them over to the brass to be dealt with. 

Not before he’d had a word first though.


	12. Chapter 12

A few days later Leonard was back in the infirmary making a few last adjustments to a cadet’s file in the final hours of his shift. As was the norm his shift had been increasingly dull, and he’d used some of that time to study up for his classes, bringing his forensic pathology PADD with him to go over some notes. It was maybe a little morbid but when he became CMO one day (hopefully for Jim), he would need to act as a pathologist as well as a doctor. Death wasn’t uncommon aboard space ships and especially with Starfleet’s exploratory mandate, accidents were known to happen. 

So he needed to study up on his work, and the hours in the infirmary seemed the perfect place. It wasn’t technically a breach of duty, he was still here and after he’d gone through the paperwork there wasn’t anything else to do. He did wonder if he should be instructing Avery more, but with no patients there was very little for both of them to do. 

“You can clock off if you want Avery, there’s not much happening here tonight” Leonard said, setting his PADD on the counter. Grimacing slightly he stretched the kinks out of his back. 

Avery shook his head. “I’m fine. Besides what if something happens?”

Leonard raised his eyebrow. “Somehow I don’t think that’s happening” 

“Still. I’ll stay here. You trying to get rid of me Len?” Avery joked. 

Leonard chuckled dryly. “Of course not. You know a big part of doctoring is getting through the boring stuff. It can’t be emergency surgeries and saving lives all the time”

“Don’t I know it”

It was quiet again then and Leonard took a sip from his mug, wishing he could put his finger on what had been bothering him lately. For the life of him he couldn’t figure out what was up, and if it had to do with the person he was with tonight. He’d been best friends with Avery back at Ole Miss and while those days had been filled with the fervent vigour of youth and possibility he couldn’t help but feel like his life had changed. While he wasn’t an old man by any means he felt it sometimes, deep in his bones and he’d been feeling it more and more these past few days. He was a totally different man from the one Avery had been friends with, he’d been burned and suffered losses and couldn’t help but feel like he was more than a little jaded. While he’d only been a country doctor he’d seen his fair share of loss. The practise he’d been based at had been in one of the poorer districts and sometimes he’d had nothing but substandard equipment to work with. It had been difficult but he’d made some good friends there. 

But Avery? He didn’t know what he’d been up to in the years since they’d finished college. In fact Leonard hadn’t even known Avery had wanted to enlist, hell he hadn’t known _he’d_ wanted to. He’d just sort of walked into it without knowing what he was doing, still smarting from his divorce. The whirlwind known as Jim Kirk had done the world of good for him and he liked to think he’d had the same effect on the kid. 

“So what did you get up to after school? I don’t think I ever asked you”

Avery looked up. “Oh I drifted mainly, I couldn’t focus. I just felt like I had to be in a million places at once. I think I worked in London for a while, then I honestly don’t know”

“Huh, I guess I’m still having a hard time figuring out why you enlisted”

Avery nodded. “Yeah I know, believe me I’m still not used to it. How do you handle it when some young upstart tells you what to do?”

“Well I guess I’m lucky in that I’m a bit older than most of the cadets here. I’ve never had that problem”

“But what’s it going to be like when you’ve got a ship posting and some young Captain is barking orders at you, despite the fact that you’ve got 5 plus years on him?”

“The only place I’m going to be concerned about on a ship is the Medical bay, and in there my orders are more important than the Captain’s. It honestly doesn’t bother me. We all have our appropriate designations and everyone’s roles play a part in the running of the ship”

Avery rolled his eyes. “Oh fuck Len you sound like one of those recruitment holo-vids they send out. We want you for the new recruit, your insight will be valuable to Starfleet. What a bunch of crap”

“I don’t know, you seem to be doing all right at the moment” Leonard said icily, growing tired of the other man’s rambling and complaining. It was all he seemed to do. 

“Yeah right I’m a junior doctor working shifts at a fucking infirmary. It’s going to be months before I can wrangle a shift at a proper medical facility and in the meantime all I’m relegated to is broken wrists and sprained ankles”

Leonard frowned. It was true the majority of the work he did there consisted of fixing nothing more serious than a sprained wrist, but it was still putting his training into practise, still helping people. It was still meaningful work. 

After a second of pointless arguing with himself he sighed. “Well we certainly have differing opinions on this and I’m not going to argue with you. A broken bone is a broken bone, whether it’s on the Admiral or the newest recruit. Everyone had to work their way up the ranks”

Avery rolled his eyes and Leonard grit his teeth and went into the lounge to grab another cup of coffee. He still had an hour and a half left of his shift and given that chance he wanted to spend it reading over his notes. Avery could hold the damn fort for a while, seeing as how he was so god damned keen on doing it in the first place. 

God damn it. 

He sighed again and refilled his mug, slumping down into the lounge and scowling out through the plexiglass window at the room beyond. Avery was leaning against the counter, reading something on his PADD. He looked a million miles away and it was in that exact moment that Leonard realised they were just that. 

Millions of miles apart.

***

“Please state your full name for the record”

Jim cleared his throat. “James Tiberius Kirk”

Boone sat down, pulling a sheaf of papers toward him and staring hard at the cadet. Jim gulped. 

“Can you tell us in your own words what happened that day in the shuttle?”

“Yes Sir. My co-pilot and myself conducted the preliminary flight check and recorded no unusual readings. Everything was as it should be. We then proceeded to perform the flight exercise as stated in the briefing, moving into the various manoeuvres as indicated by our telemetry. We only made it part way through the third formation before Hastings noticed something amiss”

Boone nodded. “What did she notice?”

“She noticed that our fuel input didn’t correlate to the engine output”

“For those who aren’t in the know, what does that mean?”

“It means we were using up more fuel that normal and that if allowed to continue the shuttle would have run out of fuel before we made it back to the ground”

“What did cadet Hastings do about the problem?”

“She made a note of it and ran a diagnostics check just to make sure we hadn’t missed anything”

“But you said before that you didn’t miss anything during the pre-flight check”

Jim nodded. “Yes Sir but accidents happen”

“Yes they do and as I’ve already informed you, neither of you missed anything during the test. What happened then?”

Jim took a breath, letting his mind wander back to the shuttle. “We continued on for a few moments more before I advised Hastings to contact you Sir. I said I should be the one to make the call as I was the pilot, and technically in charge of the situation. I informed you of our situation and you advised us to descend”

“Do you remember the fuel consumption at this point?”

“I’m not sure Sir. I think we were hovering at 60% when we received your orders. When we began our descent we were at 20%”

Boone nodded and shuffled his papers, which only served to increase Jim’s nerves. He felt like he was on trial, even though he’d done nothing wrong. His heart was thumping hard and he rubbed his sweaty palms on his pants under the table, taking a steadying breath. 

“What happened then?”

“I began our descent while monitoring all fuel and engine output. I’m not sure how far we’d made it before the engine readings started going haywire. We were jolted around and started spinning, freefalling toward the ground. Despite everything I did and Hastings too, we couldn’t stop it or decrease the speed in any way. We hit the ground before we could contact anyone for support”

“The telemetry from the shuttle indicates that you were travelling at a rate of 100kph. If you’d been in an actual shuttle you would have sustained more serious injuries and possibly even lost your lives. Both you and cadet Hastings were treated for what exactly cadet Kirk?”

“Uh, bruising, concussion, shock. Hastings lost consciousness sometime during our descent and was still out when the medics arrived. The medics were concerned with spinal injury but as it were we only suffered from whiplash which I’ve been informed will heal. We’ll both be fine Sir”

“You’re both very lucky. Now even though you were the victims in this situation I have to ask. What were your whereabouts the morning before the shuttle sim crash?”

“I was in bed sir. My advanced hand-to-hand seminar doesn’t start till 0800 hours”

Boone nodded. “Understood. For the record your ID chip wasn’t activated and your comm signal shows your location as being consistent with what you’ve just told me. Given the nature of what caused the shuttle crash it seems prudent to ask if you have any enemies?”

Jim shook his head. “Not that I know of Sir. I mean we all engage in friendly competition but it’s nothing more”

“Do you know of anyone who wouldn’t want you to succeed?”

Jim shrugged. “I have no idea Sir” 

He decided to leave out the fact that his whole Interspecies Ethics and Protocol class probably wanted him dead simply because he was acing it. Easily. No maybe this wasn’t a good time to mention that. 

The interview continued on in a similar manner for another 30 minutes before Boone wrapped things up. 

“Well I think everything’s in order. Thank you for your time today Cadet. Dismissed”

Jim nodded and quickly left the conference room, relishing the sudden blast of icy air on his cheeks. Man it had been stuffy in there, and he didn’t like feeling nervous. It was a feeling that didn’t sit easily on him. He needed to blow off some steam. 

Grabbing his comm unit he sent a quick message to Bones, letting him know his plans of indulging in far too much alcohol that evening. A moment later Bones affirmed that he’d meet him after his seminar ended and that would he please pick somewhere with decent food this time. Jim chuckled as he pocketed the unit and continued on to his dorm, hoping for an hour or so of downtime to clear his head.


	13. Chapter 13

“I’m telling you Bones it felt like I was on trial. My palms were sweaty” Jim said later that evening over a plate of spaghetti. He’d met Bones as promised at one of their favourite haunts, a bar called the _Lone Star._

Bones made a face. “Really? Sounds delightful”

Jim swallowed. “Yeah. Fantastic. They made it sound like I was the one who caused the fuel problem”

Bones sipped his beer. “So what did cause it? Do they know yet?”

“Oh yeah, I mean Boone hasn’t said so in as many words but we all know it was sabotage. The fuel line was deliberately cut”

“What? Deliberately cut? By whom?”

“Well that’s what we’d all like to know isn’t it? Boone got all up in everyone’s faces the other day at the de brief and said actions of this magnitude were not going to be tolerated and that the top brass were working on getting to the bottom of it”

“Jesus kid, you better be careful”

Now Jim made a face and took a gulp of his ale. “I know. I mean it doesn’t exactly sit easy with me the fact that someone tried to kill either myself or Hastings. I wish I know who did it I really do”

“Do you have any ideas?” Bones asked, taking a mouthful of his chicken salad. 

“No, both Boone and Pike told me to compile a list of enemies but I don’t think I have any, not serious ones anyway”

Bones eyes widened. “Pike talked to you about it? Really?”

“I know! I don’t know what to make of it all Bones. It’s fucked up”

Bones sat back in his chair and surveyed the room, his eyes resting casually on each person inside the bar before he turned his gaze back to Jim. “So you can’t think of anyone who’d want you dead?”

Jim shook his head. “No, I mean I’ve told them both now that we’ve all got a bit of healthy competition going amongst ourselves, but I never thought it would get anywhere near this serious. Who the fuck would deliberately sabotage a shuttle simulation?”

Bones shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe one of the other students? You do have the rather irritating habit of being brilliant Jim, and while I find you a constant source of amusement others may not. They might be threatened by you”

Jim looked surprised. “Threatened? By me? But I’m not threatening, or at least I don’t think I am”

“Not in person, but aptitude scores and test results don’t lie. Neither does your last name”

“What about my last name?” Jim frowned, feeling uneasy. 

Bones sighed and leaned forward, affording them a small measure of privacy in the crowded room. “Jim despite whether or not you believe it, or if you even like it you’re relatively known around campus. Hell most of the officers have read Pike’s dissertation on the Kelvin, even you have”

“Yeah but, that was my dad. I never even knew him. I’m nothing like him” Jim said, sounding only a little defensive. It irked him that people would be forming opinions of him based on the actions of his father. They were totally different men. 

“I know that, but your dad was brilliant and you are too. There are similarities here”

Jim frowned again. “So you’re saying someone is trying to kill me because of my dad? Bones you’re crazy”

Bones shrugged. “That may be. You think hard on that list of potential enemies kid, you might find one close to home”

***

it was almost five days after the accident until Jim managed to get some time on his own to start his investigation. After class he dumped his various PADD’s in his dorm and hightailed it to the library where he’d booked some ‘study’ time in one of the private carrels. 

He signed in and locked the door behind him, logging into one of the Academy’s computers. He could quite easily have done his research on his PADD, but he didn’t want to leave a trail. No this sort of thing was best done as anonymously as possible, and in total privacy. He didn’t want his roommate staring over his shoulder. First off he typed Avery Scott’s name into the server, which would search the whole Academy database. If he got stuck he could just hack the system, hell he’d done it before. It was no big deal. 

Upon first glance there was nothing special in the system about Scott, just his record of enlistment that had nothing terribly interesting on it. His parents lived in Louisiana, he had a younger brother called Ben who lived and worked in London. He’d studied at the University of Mississippi where he’d received his medical degree before he moved on to one of the hospitals in the area. The name didn’t ring any bells, and in Jim’s opinion it wasn’t important. 

Digging a little deeper he looked into where Scott had studied. Bones hadn’t told him much about his time at Ole Miss and this seemed like a perfect opportunity to find out some juicy stuff. Scott had been on the Parisi Square club, he was the head of the xenolinguistics club and the vice president of the fencing team. He’d come second in the Ole Miss marathon and his aptitude tests for enlistment were pretty good. Well then, it seemed like Avery was a pretty well-adjusted guy. Perfect Starfleet material, or cannon fodder. Maybe he’d end up wearing a red shirt. 

After a few more minutes of searching and studying Jim decided to search around for where Avery had practised medicine after college. Here was another area where Bones had been particularly quiet, and he wondered if they’d gone to the same place. They seemed pretty close to one another, so they could have for all he knew. Maybe he should ask Bones at some point. 

As it turned out Avery had completed his internship and residency at a hospital in London, at some hospital Jim had never heard of. There was nothing remarkable about the establishment, but Jim decided to do a little more digging, The building’s mainframe had a pretty impressive firewall but he managed to hack it and soon had the hospital’s death records up in front of him. Luckily Avery hadn’t changed his name (Jim didn’t know why he would have), but also rather unluckily, Scott was a fairly common last name. 

Sighing softly Jim brought up Avery’s record of enlistment again and discovered his middle name was John, which might be a useful. But then again maybe it wouldn’t be helpful at all. He could only try. So with that in mind he brought up the records of every single death at the hospital Scott had worked at after college, making special note of all the deaths that had occurred under the treating physician Scott, J A. Of course Scott wasn’t the only physician, so Jim had to wade through a whole lot of other bullshit but by the time he’d made a decent dent in the information he had quite a large list. 

Huh that seemed odd, even to Jim’s untrained eye. He knew that quite a large number of people passed on every day, but this hospital seemed to have rather a high number. Most of them so far had occurred under the care of (he hoped) Avery Scott. That seemed a little fishy if you asked him. Rubbing his eyes he waded back into the records, making more and more notes, his list increasing. 

It was well after dark by the time he’d finished compiling his list and he realised he’d missed dinner. Perfect. Oh well he’d just swing by Bones place and grab something out of his fridge. He always had something tasty stored away and it certainly wouldn’t be the first time he’d raided his friend’s place for late night food. 

The grounds were pretty quiet as he made his way to Bones place, and being the considerate friend he was, he decided to send him a comm before he dropped in unexpectedly. 

_Bones. Missed dinner. Dropping by in 5 mins. Jim._

He’d made it to Bones door before he realised the other man hadn’t answered and he pulled his comm unit out again, frowning at the small screen. 

_Jim. Went out for dinner. You know passcode so let yourself in. Be back later. Leonard._

That was a little bit weird. Bones never went out and hardly ever on a weeknight. Of course their impromptu dinners and drinking fests didn’t count because they always made it back before curfew. Here it was at 2130 and Bones wasn’t back. Normally he’d be sequestered away in his dorm or on duty, but not tonight. Even though he’d been given permission Jim didn’t feel right just waltzing into Bones dorm so he changed course and went to back to his dorm, finding his roommate still awake but thankfully not entertaining anyone. 

Luckily he found an apple on his desk buried beneath a pile of homework he really should have gotten to the previous night. It was mostly done, but he had to have a final check before he submitted the paper. 

“Burning the candle at both ends huh Jim?”

He chuckled. “Yeah well, somebody’s gotta do it”

“May as well be you huh? I gotta tell you I don’t know how you do it” the Andorian said, leaning back on his bed. He’d clearly had a busy night, if the women’s panties lying by the bedpost were any indication. 

“Just skilled I guess” Jim said, dropping his PADD and notes into the drawer of his desk and kicking off his boots. 

“Yeah, guess you are” 

Jim grinned and stripped out of his uniform, running it through the refresher unit before he grabbed his towel off the hook by the bed and headed into the small bathroom. Thankfully Asiloo was kind of a neat freak, (unlike himself), so the space was almost always clean and tidy. 

Tonight Jim opted to cash in some of his water credits for an actual hot water shower, and stood under the spray for a good ten minutes before he felt the water cool. Asiloo was already in bed by the time he got out, but he clearly wasn’t asleep. 

“How bout you huh? Who’s the girl you’re talking to?” Jim asked as he slipped beneath the covers. 

“Oh no-one”

He chuckled. “Haven’t heard back from Uhura yet have you? Lights”

The room was plunged into darkness. In the inky black Jim could faintly make out Asiloo’s large eyes, glimmering faintly. 

“No, but I’m sure she’s busy”

“You keep telling yourself that buddy”


	14. Chapter 14

“How’d this happen?” 

The cadet winced and clutched at his shoulder. “In my advanced hand-to-hand combat techniques seminar. My partner might have gotten a bit over enthusiastic”

Avery cleared his throat softly as he watched Leonard work. As usual he was in the Infirmary and as usual he’d been relegated to the sidelines in order for the more qualified doctor on duty to take the lead. He was tired of this shit. When was he going to get his chance?

Today it seemed, because not a moment after he’d had that thought Leonard turned to him. 

“Would you like to proceed with the exam today?”

Avery blinked. “What? I mean, of course Doctor”

Leonard smiled wryly and let him step forward to take the lead. Holy crap he couldn’t believe he was actually doing this, but there was no time for his inner child to come out, he needed to focus and be professional. He’d thank Leonard later. 

“What kind of hand-to-hand techniques were you studying?” he asked as he gently moved the cadet’s hand away from his shoulder. As soon as he did it became quite obvious what the problem was. The shoulder joint was clearly dislocated, sitting up and out of the scapula. 

“Klingon. It’s our last week of it, and the first time we’ve had a decent go of things”

“What’s your name?” Avery asked as he picked up a data PADD. 

“Matt Kowalski”

“Ok Matt, it’s pretty obvious to me and I think to you as well that you’ve dislocated your shoulder. Just give me a moment to check this. How’s your pain level?”

Matt thought for a moment. “It’s not too bad if I’m still. Maybe a five, but it’s worse if I move”

Avery nodded. “Alright. I’m sure you’re aware we can’t leave your arm like that, and because it’s such a quick procedure to repair we usually don’t bother with anaesthetic. Is that ok with you?”

Matt nodded. “Yeah it’s fine. Anything to get me back out there”

Avery made a note in the file before he reached for a hypospray containing an analgesic. Gently he pressed it to Matt’s neck before he motioned for Leonard to help him with the shoulder. Because there was such a strong pulling motion two people were often needed – one to stabilise the patient, and the other to pull the joint back into place. 

Under his direction Leonard held Matt steady while Avery (with force), moved the joint back into place so that the shoulder was in alignment. Understandably Matt grunted with pain. 

“There we go. Now that hypo I gave you should hold for a few hours, but you can take regular painkillers. I’ll give you some” Avery said, rummaging in a drawer for a tray of pills. 

“Thanks Doctor. How long will I need them for?”

“Just a few days, a week at the most. How does your hand feel? Any tingling, pins and needles, any pain?”

Matt shook his head. “No, it’s tingling a little bit but it feels ok. Am I good to go?”

Avery nodded. “Yes. I’ll send word to your instructors letting them know I’m restricting you from heavy physical work. Light duties for the next few weeks. You can go now”

“Thanks” Matt said, hopping gingerly off the bed and heading out the doors. 

Avery smiled. “I think that went well. Thanks for letting me take the lead Len”

Leonard nodded. “No problem. How do you think you went?”

“Good. It felt good”

“You don’t think you should have strapped his shoulder?”

Avery blinked. “I don’t know. I don’t think so, I mean he’s not going to be using it much anyway. I’ve restricted him from heavier duties”

Leonard nodded. “I know, but sometimes the appearance of a bandage can remind a person how badly they’re hurt, and that’s not always a bad thing. Stability is important in these kind of injuries. Other than that though, you did well”

“Thanks. I’m confident the cadet won’t be doing too much physically anyway, not after those painkillers wear off” Avery said, grabbing Kowalski’s file and updating it. 

Leonard nodded but Avery could see he wanted to say more. Ignoring him, he turned around and started tidying up. If Leonard had wanted to strap the cadet’s shoulder so badly he should have done it himself, not given a scathing commentary after the fact. He didn’t believe in Leonard’s old fashioned methods, he didn’t see the point of bandages. Why would he when he had lasers and precision instruments at his disposal? Sure the old-fashioned methods might work just fine for Dr McCoy, but then he was a bit of an old-fashioned guy himself. He’d always been like that, even back in college and while it had earned him top marks and the admiration of his peers, it wouldn’t serve him out in the black. You needed to be tough out there, you needed to be able to make life and death decisions in the blink of an eye. Leonard would be fine working here, on the ground but Avery didn’t think he’d make it among the stars. 

Avery was going to make it to the stars, but for the last few weeks he’d been wondering if he was in the right position to do so.

***

It was mid-afternoon by the time Leonard got back to his dorm and his mind was so pre-occupied he almost didn’t notice the small package on his pigeon -hole. He didn’t often receive physical mail, most of his stuff was electronically delivered, so he knew it had to be something important. 

Suddenly it hit him. Joanna! His little girl must have sent him something and he couldn’t wait to see what it was. Never before had he been so grateful to be living on his own he thought as he grabbed the small box and rushed inside, opening it with slightly shaking fingers. 

It was a small data chip and he sat down as he inserted it into his PADD, his heart in his throat. He hadn’t heard from Joanna for a number of months now and always looked forward to their messages. As he’d hoped his daughters smiling face filled the screen and warmth bloomed in his heart. She’d grown so much since he’d last seen her. 

“Hi Daddy. It’s me Jo. I wanted to send you a message today because your birthday is coming up and we won’t be able to send you a message then”

Leonard’s eyes filled with tears as he watched Joanna on the screen. Gently he traced her visage with his fingertip, as though he could feel her cheek through the PADD. 

“Hey darlin” he murmured. 

“Mom said to tell you that we’ll be on Risa for a holiday. Have you ever been to Risa Daddy? Mom says that you haven’t but I wanted to ask anyway. I’m going to go swimming and make lots of sandcastles and catch crabs and have lots of fun”

Leonard chuckled. “I’m sure you will sweetheart”

“What are you going to do for your birthday Daddy? I hope you’re going to spend it with friends and have some fun. Mom says you need to have more fun”

At that Leonard frowned. Typical Jocelyn: always trying to bring him down somehow in the eyes of their daughter. God he missed her, missed holding her tight and tucking her in at night, missed the cherry-sweet smell of her hair, the way she’d curl her small hand around his whenever they went anywhere together. 

“My school is going well. Yesterday I painted a picture and the teacher put it up on the wall. She said it was really good and that everyone should see it. I was going to give it to you, but I can’t now so I’ll draw you another one”

On and on she went, talking about her life, the friends and school and things she got to do everyday and as she continued Leonard’s heart ached. While he’d long ago accepted the fact that his ex-wife had taken his little girl away from him, he never got over it and always hated it. Jocelyn probably had some other man in her life now, even though Leonard despised her he couldn’t ignore her feminine charms, and the thought of another man raising his daughter made his skin crawl. 

But Joanna hadn’t spoken of any other man which he was grateful for. Leonard liked to think of himself as a pacifist, but the idea of another man holding his little girl, of him tucking her in made his blood boil. He’d die before another man even breathed Joanna’s name. It was as plain and simple as that. 

Joanna continued her one sided conversation for another twenty minutes before she stopped, glancing over her shoulder before looking back at the screen. God damn Leonard wanted to reach out and brush that strand of dark hair off her shoulder, to kiss her porcelain cheek. 

“I have to go now Daddy. Mom says dinner is ready. Happy early birthday. I hope you have a good day and get lots of presents. I love you Dad”

With those parting words, Joanna leant forward and kissed the screen before it flickered and went dark. Leonard wiped his misty eyes and paused it on Jo’s smiling face for a moment. She had Jocelyn’s full lips and beautiful clear skin, while she’d inherited his eyes and dark hair. She was the perfect little girl, well-mannered and behaved, eager with her affections and ready for anything. Space didn’t faze her, and more than once Leonard wished he had that gift. 

Sighing softly he put the data chip into his top drawer with the others and slumped down on the couch, his mind still full of images of his daughter. God he missed her, every single day, even though she wasn’t always on his mind. He would think of her in the strangest moments, the furious silence during an exam, the moment he first opened his eyes, the quiet moments of his shifts and especially around Jim. 

Jim reminded him of Jo in a few ways, namely their innate curiosity for just about every single thing life had to offer. Jim would probably kill him if he told him that though, but he was content to keep it to himself. He wondered what would happen if the two ever met one day. Joanna would probably charm the pants off Jim just as she did with everyone she met. 

Just then his comm chirped. Unsurprisingly it was a message from Jim. 

_Hey Bones. So birthday drinks tomorrow night? Jim._

He sighed again, unsure. He’d never done much for his birthday, never really wanted to commemorate the day of his birth, always happy with just letting the day slide. But drinks with Jim didn’t sound too bad. Maybe he should invite Avery out as well, even though he didn’t get along with Jim. That was a whole other weird story that he was still trying to understand. 

_Seems you’ve convinced me. I’ll ask Avery too. Leonard._

It was only a moment before Jim replied. 

_If you must. 0_o_

He chuckled and rolled his eyes. 

_Yes. My birthday. My rules kid. Leonard._

_Fine. See you tomorrow old man. Jim._

Leonard rolled his eyes and tucked the unit back into his trouser pocket. He really wasn’t sure why Avery didn’t get along with Jim, and could only put it down to jealousy. Avery seemed to be under the impression that Jim coasted through his time here at the Academy, but Leonard knew he worked damn hard. Avery needed to realise that. He couldn’t have his two friends fighting, especially at his birthday drink fest. 

No he needed to work out a way for them to be friends, or at least civil and he had a feeling that he was going to have to talk to Avery the most. 

He just wasn’t sure how it was going to go.


	15. Chapter 15

“So do we know when we’ll be back in the air?” 

Jim shrugged and stared off across the crowded room, taking in the various inhabitants. He’d joined his flight team for a late afternoon coffee in one of the many coffee huts located along the bay. While it was still chilly outside it was warm and toasty inside, the warm aroma of fresh Arabica and bread drifting around the room. It provided a nice juxtaposition to the frigid conditions outside, the water of the bay lapping at the pier, squalls whipping across the water. 

Jen shrugged and sipped her coffee. “I’m not sure Seff, Commander Boone hasn’t said anything to me. How bout you Jim?”

Jim sighed and stared into his own mug. “No, as far as I know he’s still doing those interviews. What did you guys think of those?”

“I didn’t mind it, well most of it. I didn’t exactly like being treated like a criminal though. Boone was pretty harsh” Seff said, fiddling with his spoon. 

“Yeah I know what you mean” Jim said. 

“Really? But you guys were the ones who got hurt” a guy called Ian piped up. He had a shock of red hair and more freckles on his nose than Jim could count. 

“Yeah I know, I guess he just wanted to be thorough” Jen said. 

“Who do you think did it? I mean sabotaging a shuttle is a pretty big thing to do” Ian said, drumming his fingers on his mug. 

Everyone shook their heads. All save for Jim. Unfortunately though, Ian noticed. 

“What about you? Have any ideas who might’ve done it?” he said, fixing his eyes on Jim and staring hard. 

Jim swallowed his mouthful and set his mug back on the table. He didn’t really want to tell anyone of his suspicions , but at the same time he desperately wanted someone else to confide in. He couldn’t tell Bones, he couldn’t tell Captain Pike or Commander Boone, he couldn’t even go to the Admiral. With everything going wrong, and suspicion high in the air Jim was starting to feel very alone. Normally he didn’t mind the feeling but right now he hated it. 

“No one in particular. Nothing concrete” he lied, staring out the window at the darkening sky. It suited him he thought wryly: the weather matched his mood. 

Ian gazed at him sceptically for a while longer, his eyes narrowed before he loosed a breath and looked away. 

“I don’t believe you. Don’t get me wrong Kirk I like you and think you’re a damn good pilot, but I don’t believe for a second you haven’t got someone in mind. You’re cooking something up. I know it. “

Jim pursed his lips. “I’m not doing a thing”

Ian smiled knowingly. “Whatever you say Jim. Whatever you say”

***

Later that night Jim’s mood hadn’t improved at all. After his classes he’d changed out of his uniform in favour of more casual attire, preferring to feel totally comfortable at least in himself for an occasion when he suspected he wouldn’t be. God he wished Bones hadn’t invited Avery, he was really starting to tire of the other man and his endless quest to be better. 

Thankfully it had stopped raining and Jim was able to get to the bar without getting wet. The streets were busy tonight, filled with cadets making good use of their weekend time off but for once Jim wasn’t really interested. All he wanted to do was get to the bottom of this whole clusterfuck and he couldn’t exactly do it with the man in question sitting opposite him. 

Speaking of the man in question, Avery had just walked in, followed closely by Bones who was…laughing? Bones didn’t laugh, sure he chuckled or snorted, grumbled most of the time but Jim hadn’t heard him laugh very often. Not full-bellied like he was doing right now. Ugh. Jim grit his teeth, mentally preparing himself as the duo came closer. 

“Hey Jim, been here long?” Bones asked as he sat down, motioning for the waitress. She came over and they ordered. 

“Not long. What have you been up to?” he asked, accepting the Budweiser Classic that was handed to him. 

“Oh nothing. Just had clinic shift”

“Save any lives today?” 

Bones frowned a little at his tone and Jim kicked himself. Since when did he act like a sullen teenager? He was a grown man for God’s sake, not a child. 

“Actually no. Not today” Avery said, leaning back in his chair and surveying the room. Like Jim he’d changed out of his uniform and looked like he was ready for a night on the town. 

“How’d your Nova Squadron go?” Bones asked after a while. 

Jim shrugged. “Ok I guess, we’re still grounded until this shit is all figured out but it wasn’t too bad”

“You’re still grounded? I thought all that would have been sorted out ages ago” Avery said. 

Jim shook his head. “Nope, I guess the sabotaging of a shuttle isn’t that easy to figure out”

Bones frowned and Jim bit the inside of his cheek and suppressed a sigh. He was being pathetic about this but he couldn’t exactly help it. Flying was part of his blood, he loved every second he was up there. Sometimes he felt like he belonged up there rather than on the ground, like a bird with clipped wings. He needed to get to the bottom of this before he went crazy. 

Bones continued to frown at him and once Avery got up to use the bathroom he spoke. 

“You ok kid?”

Jim sighed. “I’m fine Bones, just got a lot on my mind. I don’t mean to ruin your birthday”

“You’re not. If you want to talk to know where to find me”

He smiled grimly. “Yeah. Thanks”

They went back to companionable silence after that, which Jim appreciated. Silence was never awkward with Bones, they didn’t always have to talk. Some of their best nights were spent in total silence, each lost in their own thoughts over a beer or two, or on their darker nights bourbon. 

Once Avery came back things got a little better (surprisingly), and Jim started to wonder if he could only tolerate the other man after he’d imbibed a few too many. As the night progressed he found himself actually enjoying himself, listening to Bones reminisce about his life (all 31 years of them), telling Avery stories of the shenanigans they (alright mostly he) got into. It was fun. 

It was almost midnight before they wrapped things up, rising to their feet and stumbling to the door. Jim felt vaguely fuzzy around the edges and very very confident as he made his way up to the bar to have a quiet word with the lady he’d been making eyes at all night. She had the most amazing silvery-white hair that glinted in the lights. 

“Hey cadet, you heading home?” she asked as she mopped up the bar. 

“How do you know I’m a cadet?” Jim said, only slightly slurring his words. 

The woman shrugged. “Just a wild guess”

Jim grinned at her. “It’s the right one”

Just then Bones called from across the room. “Jim we’re leaving now. Come on, we missed curfew”

The girl laughed. “Go on now cadet, you better get back to your friends. I’ll still be here when you come back”

Jim pointed at her, still grinning. “You better be”

Bones slapped him on the back when he got to the door. “Can’t help yourself can you?”

Jim rolled his eyes. “You’re a cockblock Bones. Major cockblock”


	16. Chapter 16

Come Sunday morning Jim was glad he hadn’t taken that girl up on her word, because he felt like crap. One too many beers last night had left him with a killer hangover, throat dry, head thumping and mouth tasting like a stale trash. Thankfully it was a Sunday though, and he didn’t have to do anything more than resume his study session on Avery. 

Asiloo was still sound asleep, even at this late hour and Jim spent a few more moments lying there listening to the snores as he woke up, He didn’t often indulge in sleeping in, but on occasion he liked to, of course he normally liked to while next to a girl, but he’d turned down that choice. Maybe he’d go find that girl later. 

It was still raining outside and a cold grey mist had swirled up from the bay, creeping over everything and making Jim huddle in his jacket as he made his way across the grounds to the library. He’d booked a carrel again and was determined to find out something juicy about Avery. He had to know about him, this obsession was driving him a little mad. He’d never considered himself a jealous man before, but he was really struggling with it now. He was being stupid. 

The library was mostly empty when he got there and he quickly made his way to the private carrel and resumed his position at the computer, staring hard at the notes he’d made a few days ago. So far he hadn’t discovered much about the other man, and what he did have he wasn’t sure amounted to anything at all. Since there was no way to check the records of Avery’s past hospital he had to trust that he was making the right decision, but even so his mind was full of doubt. 

Today he was going to look into Avery’s parents a little more, so he started there first. Avery’s mother had been born in Seattle and was a school teacher at one of the many institutions there. She’d married his father Victor 30 years ago and the two had welcomed Avery soon after. There really wasn’t much information on her, but he did learn that her husband Victor had been killed while Avery was still quite young. 

That was mildly interesting, if not a bit sad and Jim realised that under different circumstances the two should have been friends. Loosing a parental figure was something of a bonding factor between them, not that Jim would ever bring it up. His father’s death was an intensely personal and private matter, one he only spoke about with his closest friends and confidants. Briefly he wondered how Victor had died and spent several minutes looking for it in the database only to find nothing. That was a little unusual. 

On and on Jim searched for most of the day, finding little to nothing on Avery. It was getting weird now and Jim had the distinct feeling that someone had wiped the database clear. There was quite simply nothing to be found on the other man, after his college education it was like he dropped off the face of the planet, which was proving rather frustrating to his search efforts. He couldn’t help but feel Avery was responsible for the shuttle damage, and even went so far as to hack into the academy system to track his ID chip in his communicator. 

It was a little hard to determine, but on the night that the sabotage would have taken place, Avery’s ID chip showed that he was in his room for the duration of the evening. He didn’t venture anywhere near the flight hanger or even move at all, which was…annoying. Even as he stared at the records though Jim knew it wouldn’t have been that easy. For all his bluster Avery was intelligent, and he’d have covered his tracks, lest anyone come searching. 

Jim also knew it would have been a simple thing just to leave his communicator in his dorm room so that it showed up on the track records. That was always a distinct possibility, but Jim didn’t exactly know what to do about that. Right now it looked like Avery was clean – save for the few facts that didn’t match up. 

Guess he’d just have to wait for Avery to slip up again.

***

Meanwhile back at the infirmary Avery was growing increasingly frustrated with his general situation. He couldn’t do this anymore, fixing broken wrists and scraped knees was an insult to all his training, even if Leonard let him take the lead on cases every now and then. He needed more. 

“I know what you’re saying, but there’s nothing I can do. If you make a mistake or administer incorrect medical care then it’s on my head. I’m not saying you will of course” Leonard was saying as they shared another shift. 

Avery sighed. “I know Len. How am I supposed to learn though?”

Leonard shrugged. “I know, but it’s not my system. Do you want my opinion?”

“Yes”

“Honestly? I think you could do with a brush up, a refresher course on emergency medical procedures. I know it’s been a while since you practised, but I’ve seen you miss things. Simple things”

Avery frowned and rolled his eyes. “Just because I didn’t strap that cadet’s shoulder doesn’t mean I’m a shit doctor”

“I didn’t say that” Leonard softened his tone and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Then what are you saying?”

“I’m just saying I’ve seen you miss things. Simple things. Yes you didn’t strap the shoulder, but I’ve also seen you almost give a medication to a cadet who was allergic to it without realising”

“Yeah but I picked up on that didn’t I?”

“Avery the hypo was at her neck! Any closer and she would have gone into anaphylaxis. It could have been fatal”

Avery didn’t believe him. What did Leonard know? He was a crusty old man. 

“She would have been in the best possible place if she’d had a reaction”

“No it doesn’t work like that. I’ve seen people die from allergies, even when they’ve been here. We can’t save everyone and sometimes I think your methods are borderline negligent. Are you sure this is the right career path for you?”

With those words white hot anger flashed through Avery’s veins and it took a few seconds before he was able to speak. Somehow though his anger leaked away as quickly as it had come, leaving him feeling hollow and unsure. 

“I don’t know anymore Len” he admitted. 

“Well that’s alright. Have you thought of another career track? Is there anything else you want to do?”

Yes there was, but Avery wasn’t sure he wanted to admit it just yet. For the past few weeks now he’d been wondering if he should swap his medical career for that of one of command. He needed a career that would utilise his knowledge and brain power, and after some research into the command track he was starting to think it was for him. Plus anything that got him closer to Kirk was a bonus. 

“Well?” Leonard prompted. 

“Well there was one area I thought of. I mean I want something where I can be useful, where I can go out and see the world and space and whatever the hell is out there. I want to lead Leonard, I want to be in command”

Leonard’s eyes widened slightly but he didn’t speak for a moment. 

“In command? Really? I always thought you want to be in medicine”

“Yeah I know, but these last few weeks I’ve started to think it’s not for me. I’m bored Len, I need something to do and I can’t keep waiting around for my actions to be approved. I can’t keep looking over my shoulder asking if my work is fine, it’s driving me crazy and you and I both know I’m better than that. So yeah, I think I’m going to transfer into the command track. You know my dad was in space”

Leonard took a sip from his ever-present coffee mug. “Really? I had no idea”

“Yeah. We lost him pretty early on in his career, and I was still quite young but I remember. Mom always hated it when he went away”

“How’d he die if you don’t mind me asking”

“It was on his second commission, and he hadn’t been gone long before it all went to hell. We didn’t even get word of it until after it had all happened. It was some Romulan attack, happened faster then anyone was anticipating. They had to evacuate the whole ship, but my dad never made it out”

Leonard’s eyes filled with sympathy, but Avery didn’t want sympathy. He’d long ago come to terms with his fathers death, but he never accepted it. More than 800 lives had been saved that fateful day, and his dad hadn’t been one of them. It had always seemed odd to him that fact, that out of 800 people not one of them had thought to check for their shipmate. No-one had thought to ensure his safety. He’d heard the reports, had read the papers and discussion on the subject and he knew that most of the engineering deck had been destroyed in the first blast. There was only one engineer that had made it off the ship, and Avery had forgotten his name. Over the years, as he’d grown into the man he was today he’d kept in his mind the name of the Captain, the man who’d murdered his father and countless others who’d only been serving their duty that day. 

Kirk. Captain George Kirk had been the man in charge, the man who’d failed to get everyone off the ship, even though he thought he had. There had still been a small contingent down on the lower levels who were unable to get to the evac shuttles, and Kirk had sentenced them to death when he’d manually steered the ship on it’s collision course. It was Kirk’s fault his father was dead. 

“The USS Kelvin. That’s the ship my dad died on” Avery said, hatred pouring through his veins as he thought back to all the pictures he’d seen, all the reports he’d read. They all thought Kirk was a hero, someone to be praised and adored, someone who would go down in the annals of history as a legend, but Avery saw through it all. Kirk wasn’t someone to be admired, he was a failure, a rotten excuse for a commanding officer and it he had his way the world would not see another day when another Kirk would take the helm. 

It simply would not be allowed, which was why he had to do everything in his power to make sure Jim Kirk didn’t get his chance. 

He didn’t deserve it.


	17. Chapter 17

Jim hit the ground hard, the sound of phaser fire loud. The air was thick and filled with the scent of electricity and burning, the smell cloying in the back of his throat. It was fair to say that any thought of Avery Scott was far from his mind as he rolled and ducked, trying to escape the attention of his partner Matt. 

It was Monday morning and his advanced hand-to-hand class was involved in their usual activity – only this time with weapons. They were currently set up in one of the holo-decks, going through the steps involved in how to stay away from their pursuer. Currently Jim didn’t think he was doing too badly, he’d only sustained a minor phaser burn on his shoulder, while he’d managed to land a decent blow on Matt. 

Right now though he was in the midst of actively hiding from his hunter. The holo-deck had been programmed to look like a lush valley, with lots of excellent hiding places. Their goal was to get to a specific point, in this case a ridge with a red box. Holland would be monitoring their actions from afar and they’d have a de-brief afterwards. The ante had been upped with the introduction of live phaser fire, and each cadet in the class was equipped with a weapon, set to deliver nothing more than a light stun. They didn’t want to be hurting anyone too badly. 

Jim flattened himself against the trunk of a large tree and consulted the small holographic map that all the cadets had been given. It showed the entire expanse of the valley he was in, and the blinking red dot that showed the location of the target box. He was about 1km away from it and he needed to get moving if he was going to make it by the end of the two hour seminar. Holland had made it pretty clear that she hadn’t expected any of the cadets to make it to the box before the time ran out, but Jim was determined to prove her wrong. 

After a few more minutes staring at the map, he decided he needed to head North along the bottom of the valley before somehow making his way up the hill undetected. All the cadets had been issued with a holographic map, so he knew Matt would be trying to work out where he was. Thankfully the map didn’t show their exact positions, so all he to do was stay out of Matt’s sight. 

The sound of heavy footsteps to his immediate left made him snap to attention, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he peered out from behind the tree. It was Matt, who he was pleased to see looked a little worse for wear. They’d scuffled not long before, and Matt was covered in sweat and dirt. Jim knew he had to move otherwise he’d be discovered, so employing a trick as old as time, he grabbed a rock and threw it in the opposite direction, praying Matt wasn’t paying that much attention. 

Thankfully he wasn’t and just as Jim had hoped Matt took off after the sound, leaving him free to race off in the opposite direction, ducking and weaving through the trees as he made his way to the very bottom of the valley, following a small creek and making sure to keep his prints out of the mud. It wouldn’t do to be so obvious. 

He’d paused for a moment to take a sip from his canteen when phaser fire rent the air. 

“Kirk! I see you man!” Matt yelled, his phaser held high as he advanced toward him. 

Jim dropped the canteen and bolted, falling into a commando roll as Matt opened fire. The target pinned to the back of his uniform had never felt so heavy but Jim knew it was all in his head. It was only a small patch and if Matt managed to hit it, then the game was over. 

“You’ve gotta hit me first!” Jim yelled over his shoulder as he ran, legs pumping hard as he headed somewhat off target. He could hear Matt right on his heels and quickly looked for a way out. Nothing immediately came to mind and he pulled his phaser out in case he had to lob off a few shots. He didn’t really want to fire at Matt, but he would if he had to. 

Thankfully another group of cadets ran by at that moment and Jim utilised the distraction and took off, altering his course slightly and hoping he blended in with the surroundings. He didn’t really think so, cadet reds were pretty fucking obvious, but he supposed that was part of the test as well. 

Trying to catch his breath he stopped for a moment in the shadow of a large rock formation, his eyes darting around for Matt’s familiar form, finding him doing the same about 20 metres away from his current location. He kept totally still and tried to flatten himself against the rocks, trying to calm his racing heart and panting breaths. The other cadets had moved off and it was almost totally quiet, peaceful even. Carefully Jim took out his map. He was still a short distance away from the red box and time was quickly running out. He had 20 minutes left to get to the box and win the challenge and Matt was sticking to him like glue. He needed to make a break for it and knew if it came down to it he could beat Matt in an all-out race. 

Making a split decision he decided to make a break for it, dumping everything that would slow him down and bolting from the cover, heading for the distant red box that would mean success. Moments later he heard Matt crashing behind him, firing off random shots as he followed a short distance away. 

“Just give it up Jim!” Matt called. 

Jim shook his head wildly, pumping his arms and willing his legs to carry him the distance. His body was starting to hurt now, his lungs working hard and his breath coming in short gasps, the sun beating down as he ran, ducking through trees and rocks and leaping over obstacles. Distantly he was aware of something he’d seen about the landscape, something he should be more aware of but he could see the red box now, it was so close. 

He could make it. 

“JIM!” 

Matt bellowed his name but Jim wasn’t paying attention as he broke out from the trees and scrub, still at a dead run as the ground suddenly gave way underneath him, his momentum sending him flying over the edge of a small gorge. Oh yeah, maybe this was what he was meant to look out for.

“JIM!” 

Oh shit Jim thought as he went flying through the air, landing hard on the dirt just in front of the red box. The wind was knocked out of him as he rolled a few feet, raising his arms up to try and protect his head, sticks and stones battering his body as he finally came to a halt. 

Breathing hard and groaning against the pain Jim opened his eyes, the familiar figure of Holland standing over him. With difficulty he reached up and smacked the red box. 

“I won” were his last words before the black swirled up and took him under.

***

“Kirk? Kirk can you hear me? Jim?”

Jim groaned and opened his eyes, squinting against the harsh lights of the infirmary. 

“That’s it, open those eyes for me. Can you tell me what hurts?”

Jim blinked and tried to sit up, grunting in pain as he was sent back to the bed. Holy shit his whole body hurt. 

“Everything” he said hoarsely, closing his eyes. Hopefully he hadn’t done too much damage in his leap over the cliff. Bones would fix him up. He always did. 

But for some reason it wasn’t Bones voice he was hearing right now, it was the slightly higher tone quite possibly the last person he wanted to see right now. Avery. 

“Well you took quite a tumble there Jim. Didn’t anyone tell you not to go throwing yourself off cliffs? What were you doing?” Avery said and Jim felt a hand at his elbow. He opened his eyes. 

“Winning”

Avery glanced at him sceptically. “Is winning that important to you? You’ve bruised some ribs and given yourself a concussion, as well as separated your shoulder, not to mention the myriad of other superficial injuries. You’ll be sore for a while”

Jim scowled and resisted the urge to bicker, instead choosing to close his eyes in an effort to block out the annoying sight of Avery standing over him. He didn’t want him, he wanted Bones and was about to ask for the other doctor when Avery spoke again. 

“Get some rest. There’s not much we can do for your ribs, and I’ve already worked on your shoulder. You might need another session with the regen unit for that, but we’ll deal with that when it happens. How do you feel now?”

Jim took a slow breath, testing his tender ribs. If he didn’t breathe too deeply it wasn’t so bad. 

“Not too bad. Just tender, and my head hurts”

Avery patted his arm. “Ok that sounds alright. Just rest here this afternoon. If things are ok you can go back to your dorm later today”

Jim nodded, even though that seemed a little weird. Bones was usually adamant about keeping him in hospital when he’d hurt himself, which was more often than not. While he hated it in there he knew it was the best possible place to get fixed up and it seemed a little strange to him that Avery would just send him home so quickly. Especially seeing as how he felt like he’d been run over by a truck. A large truck. Very large. Normally he didn’t like to admit how badly he was feeling but on this occasion he could live with it. 

“How’s your pain level? On a scale of 1 to 10”

Jim opened his eyes again. “Probably about a 6” Well more like an 8, or even a 9 but he could handle it. As he thought that though he could hear Bones voice in his head telling him he didn’t have to manage it, that it wasn’t admitting weakness to accept pain medication (the kind he wasn’t allergic to). 

“Any double vision? Ringing in the ears? Blurriness?” Avery asked, running a scanner over his face. 

Slowly Jim shook his head. “No, the light is bothering me though”

Avery nodded. “Lights, dim to 70%”

Jim sighed in relief as the lights dimmed to a more comfortable level. Avery fussed around him for a moment more, checking something or another or punching controls into the biobed. The infirmary was empty this afternoon, and Jim cast about for Bones, wondering where the other man was. Every other time he’d been in here, whether as a patient or accompanying someone else he’d always seen the two working together. 

Now he only saw another female doctor, who gave him a reassuring smile as she applied a dermal gel to one of the scrapes on his arm. His uniform lay in tatters on the chair next to the bed. Man Bones was going to have a fit when he saw this new development. 

“Ok. I’ll let Doctor Para continue here. You just rest quietly now Jim and let any of us know if you need anything. I’ll be just over here”

Jim nodded but knew he’d have to be on his deathbed before he asked Avery for anything, least of all any medical assistance.


	18. Chapter 18

When Leonard next checked into the infirmary he was met with a surprise. Avery was nowhere to be found, instead he was rostered on alone as had been the norm on a Tuesday before Avery enlisted. That was weird, for the past few months now he’d been rostered on with Avery for almost all his shifts, but now he was alone. Was Avery sick? Could he not come in today for some unknown reason? 

He sighed softly and went to check the data stream from the previous day, finding nothing unusual except for one name down the bottom of the list. Kirk, James T – multiple abrasions, cuts and scraps, bruised ribs, mild concussion, separated shoulder. Attending physician Dr Avery Scott. Discharged. 

What? Jim had been in yesterday? He hadn’t known a thing, he’d been so busy yesterday with his classes and infirmary duty that he hadn’t had a chance to check in with his friend. Jim’s injuries sounded serious and he wondered how he’d sustained them but more importantly why in the hell he’d been discharged? Surely those injuries called for a transfer to Starfleet Medical across the campus, they had the equipment and the staff to monitor Jim’s condition. Who the hell had authorised his release? 

Even as he asked himself that question he already knew the answer. Avery. If he’d needed any further convincing that Avery didn’t like Jim, than this was it. He still couldn’t understand why Avery had discharged Jim, and he was sure he wasn’t being overprotective. Those injuries were serious and every doctor knew that head injuries needed monitoring for at least 24 hours. It was weird, even if Avery didn’t like Jim he shouldn’t have let him go home. 

Frowning he picked up his comm unit and paged Jim, scowling when there was no answer. He sent a quick message through as well before he set the device on the counter. He wanted nothing more than to make a quick dash over to Jim’s dorm to check on him, but he was the only doctor on duty and he couldn’t leave. He knew Jim had a few other friends but didn’t know them well enough to ask them to check on him either. 

God damn it. Jim always had a way of complicating things, even when he wasn’t aware of it. If there was a way to make a situation worse, then Jim would surely find it. 

He just hoped the day went by fast so he could get to him, because knowing Jim as well as he did, he knew it was probably a lot worse than he’d let on. 

Damn kid.

***

“Jim? You in there kid? Open the door, it’s me Leonard” 

it was late afternoon and as soon as his shift had finished Leonard had grabbed some food and headed over to Jim’s dorm, ignoring almost everyone he passed until he reached the door. 

Finally, ten minutes after he’d started knocking, the door opened, revealing a very cross Andorian. 

“Is Jim here?” Leonard barked, not bothering with introductions. 

The Andorian nodded and let him in. “Yeah, said he was released from the infirmary yesterday afternoon, although after what I heard he did, I’m surprised he was”

“What did he do?” 

“Took a swan dive off a cliff during a class. He’s been holed up here for most of the day. I was just about to get someone actually. I’m Asiloo by the way”

“I’m Leonard. Dr McCoy” Leonard said, following him inside. The dorm room was a story of opposites, and it was easy to tell which side was Jim’s. Jim’s side of the room was kept in total disarray, socks and boots and various other items strewn about the floor, the desk was full of PADD’s and texts and various other things that Jim needed. Asiloo’s side of the room was perfectly neat and much like his own tidy space. 

“Have you been here today at all?” Leonard asked as he sat down on Jim’s bed, next to a huddled figure. Gently he pulled the blanket back, revealing a very battered looking Jim. 

Asiloo shook his head. “No, I only came home a few hours ago”

“Was he awake then?”

Jim made an indistinct noise. “I’m awake now, jeez Bones you sure know how to make an entrance”

Leonard turned back to his friend. “So do you kid. How do you feel? Any dizziness, blurred vision, vomiting?”

Jim shook his head. “No, it’s not my head that’s worrying me. It’s my shoulder”

Leonard nodded and pulled the blanket back. “Ok, I need you to sit up for me. Want a hand?”

Jim scowled owlishly. “No I can manage thank you”

Beside them Asiloo stepped forward. “Uh, I might step out for a bit. Feel better Jim”

Jim nodded. “Yeah thanks As”

Once the door shut Leonard turned back to the other man, assessing the situation. Upon closer inspection he decided that Jim didn’t look too bad, he was a little sweaty and dishevelled but he wasn’t too off colour. His shoulder was obviously bothering him, for which Leonard wasn’t surprised. Shoulder separations were one of the most painful things to deal with, mainly due to the ineffective stabilising methods. 

“So what did you do now?” he asked, sorting through his emergency med kit for a scanner and holding it in front of Jim’s face for a moment. 

Jim rolled his eyes. “I was being my usual bad ass self. Sometimes that includes diving off a cliff”

Leonard frowned. “What in Gods name would possess you to jump from a cliff?”

Jim shrugged, wincing. “I had to get to a specific point before the other cadets. There was a time frame and if I was a little reckless, then so what? it got me there first didn’t it?”

“Jim are you out of your corn-fed mind? You could have killed yourself” he said, consulting the scanner. Jim’s blood pressure was fine, a little low but apparently he’d been in bed all day and he wasn’t running a fever. Everything seemed to be in working order, well everything except that shoulder. 

Jim scowled. “Clearly you’re incapable of appreciating my genius”

“Come here, let me look at that shoulder” he grumbled, gently inspecting the still-tender area. It was still swollen and sore, obviously causing Jim quite a bit of pain. 

“Did this get strapped when you left yesterday?”

Jim shook his head. “No, they just gave me a hypo and sent me on my way”

Leonard shook his head and grit his teeth. God damn Avery and his negligent methods. This was getting ridiculous. 

“Well I want you to get up and come with me”

“Why?” Jim asked. 

“Because you’re coming to stay with me tonight. Doctor’s orders kid”

Jim looked surprised. “I thought you were eating here tonight”

“Nope, changed my mind and we both know you turn into a child when you’re hurt or sick. Come on, get in that sonic shower”

Jim’s expression softened as he stood up. “Thanks Bones”

Leonard lightly clapped his uninjured shoulder. “It’s no problem. Besides, you and I haven’t exactly had a chance to hang out lately”

***

“You know I think your friend is trying to kill me” Jim said seriously later that night. He was feeling much better courtesy of a piping hot shower and the good food in front of him. Of course the pain meds Bones had him on might have been contributing - they certainly kept him in a nice faintly fuzzy haze. 

Bones looked up, his eyebrow raised. “I don’t think so kid”

Jim sat up, frowning. “I’m serious”

“Alright, I’ll bite. What makes you think he’s trying to kill you?”

“Has it escaped you at all that every time I’ve been to sick bay he’s let me off, in the words you quoted, ‘earlier than required’?”

Bones sighed. “Not entirely. In his defence though you’ve only been under his direct care once”

Jim waved his hand in the air. “Details. Every since he got here he hasn’t exactly been welcoming, despite my best efforts”

“Jim, if those were your best efforts to be friendly then you need lessons. You haven’t welcomed him with open arms either”

“It’s a little hard to welcome the guy when he’s poo poohing everything I suggest. You have to admit he’s gone out of his way to exclude me”

“Jim we went out without you once. Come on now”

Jim sighed and scratched at the sling that was wrapped around his shoulder, comfortably holding his arm immobilised against his chest. While it was still sore it definitely stopped him from making any sudden movements. 

“It’s just a feeling I have. Something’s not right with him Bones. There has to be something going on”

Bones sat down opposite him, picking up his fork. “In case you missed it, you kind of need proof before you go around hurling accusations at people”

“You can’t say you haven’t noticed anything. It’s obvious” Jim said, scowling. 

“What’s obvious? Yes I’ve noticed Avery’s not exactly fond of you, but Jim it’s not all about you. You’re going to meet people in your life that don’t like you for whatever reason. You can’t just go around accusing people of…whatever you’re saying here, just because they don’t like you. It doesn’t make sense kid”

Jim scowled. “It’s not just me. Look Bones I’ve done some digging and this guy is pretty suspect”

“What in the hell? Damn it Jim you don’t just go poking around in someone’s background. I suppose you broke all sorts of rules to do this didn’t you? Oh God I don’t even want to know”

“Well I’m going to tell you. I found out the hospital Avery worked at after he graduated and they seem to have a pretty huge record of death”

“It’s a god damn hospital Jim! People do have a habit of dying in them”

“I’m aware of that, but this is different. I checked the surgical records and most of the deaths occurred under the treatment of Avery. It’s all there in black and white” he didn’t say the next thing, but it hung obvious in the air between them. 

Avery was a killer. 

Bones threw aside his fork in disgust. “Jim I get it ok? You don’t like him and you’re jealous. That’s ok, in fact that’s great. I didn’t think you were capable of feeling it, but it’s a new emotion for you so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Avery is my friend. Don’t accuse him of stuff he hasn’t done”

Jim’s mouth opened in shock. Him? Jealous? Bullshit. 

“Bones in what galaxy would I ever be jealous of Avery? The guy’s an asshole and frankly I’m surprised you’re friends with him. You seem like two different people”

Bones shook his head. “That’s where you’re wrong Jim. Avery’s a decent guy and sure, he has his flaws but don’t we all? I’ve known him for years”

A horrible feeling settled deep into Jim’s gut. Sure they had only known each other for about a year now, but Jim had thought their friendship was pretty solid. Apparently not, and he felt oddly betrayed. He didn’t often trust people implicitly, for fear of this very thing happening. 

“Are you saying you don’t believe me?”

Bones sighed and Jim suddenly felt very young. He didn’t often feel like this around Bones, their age difference didn’t mean much to him: in fact it was a source of amusement. He’d often rib the other man and make fun of it. Now he felt young and naïve. Foolish even. 

“Honestly? No I don’t. You don’t have any proof”

Jim motioned to his shoulder. “Isn’t this enough?”

Bones shook his head. “Technically he didn’t do anything wrong”

Jim huffed a laugh and reached for his jacket. It was a little difficult shrugging it on over his injured shoulder but he managed. 

“Where are you going?”

“Home”

Bones stood up. “Jim come on, don’t be like that. Finish your dinner”

Jim shook his head. “No thanks. I’ve got stuff to do. Thanks for the shoulder. I’ll see you around”

Bones looked like he was about to say something else but Jim had already reached the door. It was a little hard to storm out when it didn’t slam shut behind him, but he didn’t really care. His world was spinning on its axis and he felt like he’d been punched in the gut. 

How could Bones not believe him? His fucking best friend? He probably thought he was crazy. Jim had been sure Bones would believe him, and if not that then at least he’d listen and offer his opinion. Instead he’d been shot down and basically told to grow up. It didn’t sit well with him. 

Thankfully Asiloo was asleep by the time he got back to his dorm and he was able to change for bed without too much difficulty. Once he was in bed he spent a long time staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out a way for Bones to believe him. He had to find a way. He didn’t want to think about the alternative. 

Sleep was a long time coming that night.


	19. Chapter 19

“Is there a particular reason you wanted to see me today Cadet?” Admiral Todd asked, leaning back in his chair and surveying the young man in front of him. 

Avery nodded. “Yes Sir. I wanted to talk to you about my career”

“Alright. Close the door and have a seat” 

Avery nodded and did just that before taking a seat in front of the Admiral. He’d organised this meeting in order to try and change his major, from that of medical to one of command. Despite the years he’d spent training to be a doctor he honestly felt that a career in command would more suit his personality. He didn’t like taking orders, but giving them. 

“What did you want to discuss specifically?”

Swallowing against the uncharacteristic nerves, he spoke up. “Well Sir I’ve been working at the infirmary for a few months now and while I’ve enjoyed the chance to use my training I’m starting to think it’s not for me”

Todd frowned. “Not for you? What do you mean? Have you spoken to you academic advisor about this? Or Captain Pike? He is after all the commandant of cadets here”

“I haven’t spoken to either yet Sir. I felt it best to work through my choices with someone higher up”

“Ok then, what makes you feel that a career in the science of medicine isn’t for you?”

“Well Sir I’ve been experiencing a sort of eagerness, as some of my friends say I’ve been ‘champing at the bit’ to get into it, to get out there in the black. I’m starting to see that my medical career isn’t going to get me there fast enough”

“And what would you do about that?”

“I know it’s not usually done on such short notice, but given my aptitude scores and my record of attendance and academic proficiency I’d like to submit my name to enter the command track. I want my own commission one day Sir”

Todd’s eyebrows rose and he sat forward, absently scrubbing his chin with his fingertips. Avery thought the move made him look like a villain contemplating the death of his enemy. 

“This is a serious issue Cadet. We accept individuals based on their past training received and also their aptitude tests. If I remember correctly, you scored very highly on those tests” Todd said, flicking through his PADD and bringing up Avery’s test results. He transferred them to a larger screen so they could both peruse them. 

Avery glanced at the scores, feeling a surge of pride. He’d known he’d scored well on them and briefly wondered what Kirk’s results were. He felt confident he’d surpassed even his lofty result. 

“You’ve scored well across all bands here, with speed and accuracy being at the top. There are a few areas that need work, but that’s not uncommon with new admissions. I’d advise you to discuss this with Captain Pike, but I can put you name down for a transfer”

“Thank you Sir. I want to get started as soon as I can”

Todd smiled indulgently. “Yes I know. Go and have a talk with Captain Pike, his office is the next floor down and we’ll get the process started. Is there any particular reason for this?”

“Well my father was in space. He wasn’t a captain or an officer but it would make me proud if I can carry on his legacy by commanding a ship”

“Very well. I’ll comm Pike now and tell him you’re on your way down to see him. I’ll also contact all the relevant channels and personnel and get you transferred as quickly as possible. Was there anything else?”

Avery shook his head, almost unable to believe how easy that had been. He’d expected a fight, not to just walk in. 

“No sir. Thank you”

Todd stood up and shook his hand. “No problem cadet. While the fleet will be sorry to loose such a fine doctor we’ll also be looking forward to welcoming you to the command bunch. We’re an interesting lot”

“Thank you Sir” Avery said, shaking Todd’s hand before he left the room and headed down to Pike’s office.

***

Pike had just returned from the bathroom when his comm unit chirped. He flipped it open as he sat down. 

“Pike here”

“Chris it’s Todd. I’ve just sent a cadet down to see you. He wants to change his career track”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s Avery Scott, he’s relatively new to the ranks. Enlisted as a doctor but now wants to switch to the command track. I’ve sent him down to see you but just wanted to give you a heads up”

Pike nodded, even though he knew the other man couldn’t see him. Still holding the communicator to his mouth he stared through the windows of his office, gazing down at the grounds below him. He could see cadets milling around in between classes, and surprisingly he spotted Kirk among them. 

“Sure. I’ll have a word with him. Scott, that name doesn’t sound familiar. Does he have family in the fleet?”

The unit was silent for a moment and Pike thought he’d lost Todd. 

“Could do. He did mention his father had a career with us. It’s part of what made him want to change track. Said he wanted to lead, not follow or something like that. I’m sure he’ll be with you soon so I won’t go into too much detail”

“What exactly do you want me to do Sir?” Pike was unsure. It sounded as though Todd had already decided he was going to allow the cadet to switch majors, even though this was the first he’d heard of it. 

“Just talk to him, see if you can get any more information out of him”

“Understood Sir. I think he’s here now. Pike out”

***

Leonard spent the majority of his day in class trying to keep his brain off Jim. Their argument, (he refused to call it a fight) had come out of the blue, but if he was honest he could see where Jim was coming from. Avery did seem to go out of his way to dismiss everything Jim did or said. It made hanging out with them both at once rather hard. 

All through his organic chemistry seminar he couldn’t help but think of the look of abject betrayal on Jim’s face. The kid had looked so damn hurt it was hard to believe a simple argument could raise that kind of emotion, but then again maybe it hadn’t been just a simple argument for Jim. Jim had never spoken much of his life before he enlisted, but Leonard knew he’d had problems with his stepfather Frank, and he hated the thought that any problem they had might have brought up old wounds. 

Normally Leonard marvelled at Jim’s instincts, but this time he had the feeling that he was well off the target. It was simple really, Jim didn’t like Avery and dearly wanted someone to blame for everything that had gone wrong for him recently. That was all this was, it wasn’t some huge conspiracy against him. He was being paranoid. There was also the Kelvin problem too, but Leonard didn’t know how to bring that up without stirring up painful memories. Jim didn’t like to talk about his past. 

Despite this he still couldn’t help but feel a little lonely as he went about his day, keeping his eyes peeled for Jim’s familiar form in the hopes that he might catch him long enough to try and make up for the night before. Arguments were common among friends, especially with this sort of environment, stress played a big part in both of their lives. Maybe he should just lay off for a while, give Jim a chance to cool down. That made sense. 

“Hey Len how’s it going?” Avery’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he gave the other man a smile. 

“Hey, not too bad. What’s got you so excited? You look like a man on a mission”

“I just spoke to Pike and Admiral Todd about changing my major. They agreed. You’re looking at the newest junior officer of the fleet”

“Junior officer? That’s impressive”

Avery made a face. “Well, not yet. But I will be. Everything’s getting switched over as we speak. I start my new classes and stuff tomorrow. No more clinic shifts for me. You’ll have to survive on your own”

“Oh really? Damn that’s fast. I have to say I’m going to miss you around the infirmary. I always thought we’d make it together” Leonard said, feeling a small measure of disappointment course through him. 

“We still can. I’m fast-tracking my career so that I can get out there sooner. We can still go into space together, hey maybe someday I’ll be your commanding officer! How weird would that be? It’s like the master has become the student, or whatever they say”

Student becomes the master, Leonard thought to himself. Jim would have known that little gem, he was full of useless information like that, and don’t get him started on Jim’s love for old paperback books. The kid had a kind of nostalgic love for them that Leonard just couldn’t understand. 

“Yeah, weird” he echoed, a small part of him hoping that day never came. He’d long ago promised Jim they’d go up together, it had been a part of their plan for as long as he could remember. Going up there without him seemed…wrong. 

“What’s the matter with you?”

Leonard shook his head. “Oh nothing: just tired. So everything starts tomorrow does it?”

Avery nodded. “Yeah. I’m looking forward to it”

“Good” 

They continued on in silence for a few moments before Avery said goodbye and took off, heading toward his dorm. Leonard headed toward the mess hall for dinner, finding Jim at their usual table. Not sure if he would be allowed to sit or be turned away, he approached cautiously. 

“Mind if I sit?” he asked. 

Jim glanced up. “Sure”

He sat and got started on his meal, absently noticing Jim’s half-eaten dinner. Around them the mess hall was loud, but their table was silent. It had never been like this between them before, never. Leonard hated it. 

“How’s the shoulder?”

“It’s ok thanks” Jim said politely. Distantly. Leonard stared at him hard. There was a distinct lack of warmth in Jim’s blue eyes, which were usually sparkling with life and wit. Now they seemed dull and flat, not lifeless but not lively either. The shutters were up again and Leonard cursed himself. It had taken him a good few months to get those things down in the first place, to get Jim to really open up to him. Now that was damn near impossible. Jim was a lot of fun to hang around with, he was intelligent, good-looking and more than physically capable of holding his own, either diplomatically or physically. But he also had a stubborn streak a mile wide, which was clearly at play right now. 

He’d be damned if he let this get in the way of their friendship though, so even though it was awkward sitting at a table in complete silence, he endured it, despite breathing a sigh of relief when Jim finished up. 

“Jim wait” he called, his voice thankfully lost in the maelstrom of noise around them. Jim didn’t slow his steps as he marched away from the hall, only stopping when Leonard grabbed his uninjured shoulder. 

“What do you want Bones?” Jim asked tiredly. 

The use of his nickname gave him a small sense that not all was lost. 

“We need to talk, get this out in the open”

Jim shrugged, wincing as his shoulder protested. “As far as I know we did that last night. I told you what I was thinking and you basically shat all over it. I don’t have anything else to say to you”

“Jim come on, be reasonable damn it. I’m a doctor not a counsellor, how am I supposed to know what you’re feeling?”

“Bones you’re my best friend. Forgive me for feeling a little wounded. How can you not believe me on this?”

“You have no proof!” 

“Come on, I’ve suggested far more crazy shit than this and you haven’t blinked. What’s the deal now? Is it because he’s your friend? Or is it because you’ve noticed something about him too, and you don’t want to admit I’m right?”

Leonard scoffed. “Whatever you keep telling yourself at night kid. Look I admire your dedication and I know things have been a little rough for you lately. Believe me everyone wants to find out what happened to the shuttle sim but you can’t go around hurling accusations at people”

Jim shook his head. “I’ll prove it to you Bones. I will”

“Jim please don’t do anything stupid. You’re going to get yourself killed”

“Never stopped me before” Jim said, spinning on his heel and taking off into the dark, blending with the shadows till he was out of sight. Leonard sighed and headed back toward his dorm. 

Now that had been a fight.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter today - but Jim's finally found something solid.

Jim spent the majority of the weekend locked away in the library burying himself in research on Avery, but to no avail. Much to his disappointment there was very little information about the other man, and more than once he found himself being roused from sleep by the librarian who clicked her tongue at him and made him feel inferior. 

“Really cadet Kirk I’m going to have to send you home for bed if this keeps up” she scolded him gently Sunday afternoon after she’d caught him dozing on the desk. His shoulder was a stiff and sore still, but at least he hadn’t been drooling or something equally charming. 

“Yes Ma’am. I’m very sorry”

“That’s alright Kirk, just don’t let it happen again”

Jim grinned lopsidedly and was rewarded with a slight pink tinge that spread along the librarian’s cheeks. Yep, still got it even half asleep. 

Once he was alone again he went back to staring at Avery’s birth certificate, almost willing something to appear. He was going to give himself a migraine if he stared at the screen for any longer, but something finally clicked. 

Avery’s birth mother’s surname was listed as Kruger, which was the name she took once she married his father Victor. That was weird, where the hell had Avery got his surname of Scott from? His mother’s maiden name was Holdfast, so that was out. There was definitely something fishy going on here, and it looked like Jim had finally found something of interest. 

Why had Avery adopted a different last name? And what exactly were his records under his real name of Kruger? Hmmm, now things were getting interesting, and like a terrier with a bone Jim wasn’t about to let go. Not now, when it finally looked like he’d found something. How had he missed this?

With renewed vigour Jim went back to the drawing board, typing in Avery’s real name and sitting back. After a few moments he was rewarded with the records of a completely different person. Records of employment, education transcripts, medical files, car registration and most surprisingly – a police record. 

What the hell? Now Jim didn’t know much about Starfleet’s rules and regulations, but he knew that if an individual had a police record then you simply weren’t allowed to enlist. Those rules he knew, Pike had drummed them into him at the time of his own enlistment and he’d been mildly affronted. Even though he’d had a somewhat rebellious youth he wasn’t a criminal. 

However it seemed Avery was and just to be sure he wasn’t imagining things he made copies of all the documents and saved them to his PADD for perusal at a later date, maybe after dinner. Speaking of dinner he really should be on his way to the mess hall – he didn’t want to miss the nightly meal and he was pretty sure Bones wouldn’t want him calling at a late hour. Well maybe he would, but Jim was still bruised over their fight. 

Just before he logged off (he’d made sure to hack into the system outside the firewall) he quickly glanced over Avery’s police record. 

NAME – Kruger, Avery Scott (so that’s where his new last name came from)  
AGE – 19 (rather young to be criminally active Jim thought)  
OFFENCE – breaking and entering, assault, vehicular theft, graffiti 

The list went on and Jim felt his stomach drop. Almost every offence short of murder was listed here, it was like a record of a mad man. No wonder Avery had changed his name. With a record like that no Admiral would allow him to even breathe near a Starfleet base, let alone step foot on one. This was big. This was pretty fucking major and Jim felt like he needed to let someone know. 

Having already been shut down once by Bones he was hesitant to go there again, but there was always the top brass, Admiral Todd or someone like that, maybe even Captain Pike. Yeah, Pike would be a good person to talk to about this, Jim always felt like Pike had his back, and he’d never given up on him, even after some of the shit Jim had pulled. Of course it was never illegal stuff, but hacking into Starfleet’s data records wasn’t exactly acceptable behaviour. Frowned upon definitely, but not illegal. Yeah, he’d tell Pike about this as soon as he got a chance. 

Someone needed to know. Avery Kruger was a loose canon with a dangerous criminal past. He needed to be stopped before he could cause any more trouble.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

“Ugh, if Monday had a face I would punch it” Jim grumbled. 

Matt snickered as he took his seat, dropping his PADD on the desk in front of him. For once their hand-to-hand seminar was being held indoors, mainly because Holland wanted to run through the events of last weeks class, and Jim’s subsequent swan dive off the cliff. 

“Totally, although you won’t be diving off any cliffs today. I still can’t believe you did that man”

Jim grinned. “Yeah. It was a good move”

“Oh sure, you know that only works if you don’t break all the bones in your body”

Jim frowned. “Who told you that? I didn’t break anything”

“No way? Dude you fell like 20 meters”

Jim shrugged, his shoulder only protesting a little. It was mostly better now, thanks to Bones. On his advice Jim had kept his shoulder in the sling for a few days and had laid off the physical activity. Most of the other bruises and grazes had faded now and he was feeling much better. 

“:Yeah but unlike you, I fall with style. I didn’t break a single bone”

Matt rolled his eyes and the class quieted as Commander Holland stepped up to the lectern at the front of the room. She quickly called the group to order and began her lecture, but Jim couldn’t concentrate. 

Someone new had slipped into the class just before the doors had been shut, someone horribly familiar. Jim spent the first twenty minutes of the lecture staring at the back of the guy’s perfectly styled black head before he realised it was Avery. 

Son of a bitch, what the fuck was he doing in here? This was a command track lecture, Avery was a medical cadet (Jim refused to call him a doctor when his methods stepped over the line of negligence), and not a wannabe officer. What the hell was he doing in this class? 

After that Jim didn’t hear a word out of Holland’s mouth, and on some level he knew he should be paying attention, but on another he couldn’t get past why Avery was sitting in the same room as he, 4 rows away and looking for all the world like he belonged there. Maybe Matt knew something. 

“Hey, do you know that guy?” he whispered, leaning over. 

Matt shook his head but kept his eyes on the front. “No. Never seen him before. Think I heard something about a last minute transfer student”

“Where’d you hear that?”

Matt shrugged. “Around”

“Cadet Kirk do you have something you’d like to share with the rest of us?” Holland called from the front, her sharp eyes trained on them both. 

“Uh no Ma’am”

“Then please keep quiet. You too Kowalski”

“Yes Ma’am”

Holland went back to her lecture, leaving them to shift uncomfortably in their chairs. Jim went back to staring at the back of Avery’s head and somehow willing the other man to sink into the floor.

***

Later that morning Jim was waiting outside Captain Pike’s office, wondering when the officer would be back in his rooms and feeling more than a little uncomfortable. He’d been standing here for the last half an hour and had garnered some odd looks from the passing parade. It wasn’t appropriate for a junior officer to comm a senior one, and Jim hadn’t bothered to set up an actual appointment, so he had no choice but to wait until the Captain was free. 

“Kirk what are you doing here? Is something wrong?” Pike’s voice snapped him out of his circular thoughts. 

“No Sir, but I’d like to talk to you. Privately if you can” 

Pike frowned but opened the door to his office and let him in, closing it behind them. He took the big chair behind the desk and motioned for Jim to take the other. 

“What’s on your mind Kirk?”

Jim took a breath and chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment. He didn’t often get nervous, but Captain Pike produced in him emotions he wasn’t accustomed to. 

“I don’t really know how to say this” he eventually said. 

Pike chuckled wryly. “Speaking your mind has never usually been a problem for you son”

Jim huffed. “Yeah”

Pike fixed his eyes on him. “Spit it out Kirk”

“Have there been any developments with the shuttle sim sabotage Sir?” 

“Nothing yet, not that I’m supposed to be sharing any of this with you. It’s all highly classified”

“I know. I don’t mean to pry. We’re just all eager to get to the bottom of this and find out who did it” 

Pike shifted in his chair. “That’s not why you came in here though is it”

“No Sir. I’ve been doing my own research into this and I think there’s someone you should look into” Jim said, laying it all out on the table. 

“You think there’s someone I should get the committee to look into?” Pike repeated, brow raised. 

Jim nodded. “Yes Sir”

“And what makes you think I should do that?”

“Well Sir like I said I’ve been doing some digging and I’ve discovered some interesting stuff. This guy has a criminal record and I know Starfleet doesn’t even let you enlist if you have a record, this guy must have hidden it…”

Pike raised a hand. “I’m going to stop you there Kirk. I know everyone in Nova Squadron is eager to find out who did this, but what makes you think you can go poking around in other cadet’s backgrounds? How did you even manage to access this sort of information, no wait I don’t want to know that”

“But Sit he’s dangerous…”

“I don’t care Kirk, you can not go digging around in a cadet’s file. Quite frankly I’m surprised you managed to get past the firewalls, actually no I’m not. This is you we’re talking about”

“Sir I really think this guy is bad news, he’s forged records for one! He has a history of criminal behaviour and is clearly a risk to his fellow cadets, especially given that he’s in medical”

“I want you to drop this Kirk I mean it. The established committee is investigating this as we speak. You can rest assured that we will get to the bottom of this. I want you to stop what you’re doing and focus on your course work. Do not go searching for whoever this is. Is that understood?”

Jim frowned. “But Captain Pike Avery…”

“Is that understood cadet?” 

Jim grit his teeth and stared hard into the older man’s face. This couldn’t be happening, Pike was supposed to be on his side. Avery needed to be stopped. Now, before he hurt anyone else. 

Pike stared him down and in that moment Jim could clearly see why people followed this man into battles. 

After an almost uncomfortable stretch of silence Jim nodded. “Yes Sir. Understood”

Pike nodded. “Good. Now get back to class, I’m sure there’s something you’re missing out on”

“Yes Sir” Jim said, keeping his face neutral as he left the office, trying to fight the rising sense of defeat spiralling through him. He’d really thought Pike would have been on his side.

Now it looked like he was well and truly on his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you all demand to know why Pike dismissed Jim's claims, remember that Starfleet is a military organisation and Jim kind of sounds paranoid. Pike will redeem himself in the coming chapter. :)


	22. Chapter 22

Captain Christopher Pike spent several days after his meeting with Jim Kirk thinking over the young man’s words. Quite frankly he found them puzzling and more than a little disconcerting. Kirk was one of the brightest men he’d ever met, and was well on the path to becoming an accomplished Starfleet officer. He was intelligent, enthusiastic and demonstrated some of the highest aptitude results he’d ever seen. Ever. 

But the young man that had sat before him just days ago had seemed different, desperate and more than a little lost. Pike was concerned, but had tried to put it from his mind, not wanting to show any favouritism. Yes he did have a soft spot for Jim, but no-one else needed to know that, and he thought he did quite a decent job of hiding the brunt of it under the guise of academic supervisor. 

However after a few days of unsuccessfully putting it from his mind, he decided to look into it. What would it hurt if he indulged his charge? No one needed to know, and even though Chris felt wrong about doing it, he still stayed late one afternoon, locking himself in his office and drawing the blinds, trying not to listen to the howling winds and battering rain that fell in a steady torrent. San Fran had been hit with a spate of terrible weather lately, but he had to admit it sort of added to the mood. 

Sighing softly he thought back to Jim’s words, remembering that he’d mentioned a cadet called Avery and that he was in medical. That didn’t leave a whole lot of options, for which Chris was grateful. He didn’t want to spend any more time on this than he had too, normally he wouldn’t indulge a cadet’s seemingly paranoid ramblings, but it was Jim, and Jim was different from the others. 

He logged into the system, confident that no one would be overly concerned that the Commandant of Cadets was sifting through cadet records. It was his job to know everything about his charges. Fortunately there was only one cadet called Avery enlisted, and rather unfortunately his record was perfectly clean. Kirk had nothing solid, but even so Pike still wanted answers. 

Chewing his lip absently, and ruminating on Avery’s last name of Scott, he searched for his birth parents, quickly finding the records of both Victor and Martha. However neither of them had the surname of Scott, Victor’s last name was listed as Kruger while Martha’s maiden name was Holdfast. So why had their son adopted a different name? And why was the name Kruger so familiar to him? It was baffling, and as Pike studied the screen he realised that Kirk had been right. He’d been onto something. 

Leaning forward he studied the birth certificate before deciding to run another name through the database. This time he chose Avery Kruger, just wondering if it would bring anything up. He had no idea why Avery had chosen a different surname, and it was really none of his business, but to his surprise there was quite a bit of information on one Avery Kruger. 

Quite a bit of rather…colourful information, most of which consisted of criminal listings. Frowning he stared hard: making a copy and sending it to his personal PADD. Breaking and entering, assault, motor vehicle theft and graffiti were only a few of the numerous offences on Avery’s record, and it suddenly became very clear why he’d changed his name. 

Starfleet had strict protocols on enlistment, and a prior criminal record was a definite no no. Even the slightest hint of criminal activity could be the end of a person’s Starfleet dream, and Avery had committed several of a nature that meant immediate discharge. This sort of forgery needed to be brought up with the Admiral, but Pike still wasn’t sure why Jim thought personally digging into the man’s background was ok. Hopefully he wouldn’t do it again. 

Absently Pike thought back over the name, Kruger. It was vaguely familiar, but he wasn’t really sure why. Perhaps Victor had been an officer, indeed Todd had said that very same thing just the other day. His father’s past was what had inspired him to join Starfleet in the first place, and Pike was struck with a sudden surge of curiosity. What had been Victor’s job exactly? 

With renewed vigour he typed Victor’s name into the database and was immediately rewarded with his Starfleet dossier, listing his rank and job and the ships he’d been commissioned to. Victor had been a promising officer and a engineer, having served only two ship postings before his untimely death. He’d only been 36 at the time of his death, and Pike quickly read down the page, eager to discover his postings. 

His first shipboard posting had been to the USS Valiant under the command of Captain Coulson, who in Pike’s opinion was a damn fine officer and a pretty decent guy. They’d shared a few drinks at various official meetings over the years. He’d learned just the other day that Coulson was on his last posting, and was due to retire early in the new -year. Shame he mused, the fleet would be loosing a good man. 

Victor’s second (and last) posting before his death was on the USS Kelvin under the command of the late Captain George Kirk. Now that was interesting he thought, reading back over the details of the event. The Kelvin had been lost after being attacked by a rogue Romulan ship that to this day had still not been found. George Kirk had saved over 800 lives in his short captaincy, but interestingly Victor Kruger wasn’t one of them. 

There was nothing interesting in that detail though, even though Kirk Sr’s actions were considered heroic everyone knew that he didn’t save everyone, despite his fast thinking. It seemed like Victor was one of the hundreds that didn’t make it, which must have had a devastating effect on the young Avery. No wonder he’d turned to less than savoury activities, he must have needed some kind of outlet for his grief. What a tragic situation, much similar to that of Kirk Jr. 

Briefly he wondered if the two were friends, indeed something like this could be a kind of bonding experience, but no. Jim had seemed determined to believe that Avery was a bad guy, and after this little search session Pike was inclined to believe him. God damn that kid and his irrepressible will. 

He was going to make a fine Captain one day. Hopefully Pike would be there to see it.

***

Jim had just finished up his Tactics seminar when someone fell into step beside him. 

“Hey Kirk, how’s it going?”

It was Avery, and Jim wondered why he was choosing now to speak to him. They didn’t speak much: in fact they didn’t speak at all. So now why?

“Hey Avery, what’s up?” he asked warily. 

“Oh nothing, just wanted to see how your shoulder is going. Still worrying you? I noticed you had it strapped”

“Uh, yeah. Bones strapped it for me. It’s fine now though”

“Leonard strapped it? That’s weird. I didn’t think it needed anything else after I discharged you, but oh well”

Jim frowned, unsure where this conversation was going. Now that he knew Avery was a convicted criminal, he wanted nothing more to do with him. 

“Yeah clearly you guys have different methods of treating patients”

Avery smiled. “Yeah, Len tends to be rather old fashioned in his methods, he seems to think the appearance of a bandage will help the injured party in actually realising they’re injured. I don’t think like that, not that I have to worry about that anymore”

“What do you mean?” Jim asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. 

“Well I’ve transferred my major. I’m no longer in medical, which means no more bullshit clinical shifts or waiting around doing boring paperwork. I’m going to join the big leagues. You’re looking at the newest command member”

“Huh, that’s interesting” Jim said. So it was true, Avery had transferred his major. Despite the bright grin lighting the other man’s face Jim couldn’t help but feel disappointed. This meant he’d be seeing a lot more of him. Much more. 

“You don’t sound overly happy about that. Worried I’ll beat you?” Avery joked. 

Jim chuckled weakly, finding no humour in the situation. “I don’t think so”

Avery laughed. “Don’t be so sure man, I’ve seen your aptitude results and I gotta say, mine were higher. Anyway I’ve gotta bounce. I’m meeting Len for lunch, I’d invite you, but I’ve only made a reservation for two. Enjoy the rest of your day”

Jim frowned. How the fuck had Avery gained access to his test results? No one had access to that sort of information, (well he did, but that wasn’t the point), only the top brass could get to them, and maybe Captain Pike. As the Commandant of Cadets Jim was sure he had access to all sorts of information regarding the cadets. Man he wished he’d believed him. No one did and Jim was starting to get desperate. 

Avery needed to be stopped and now, the only question was how to do it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jim's plot is coming. I didn't realise I dragged it out for so long hehe. :)


	23. Chapter 23

It was two days later when Jim finally figured out how to stop Avery Scott, or Kruger. Whatever. Or was that whomever? He didn’t care, all he cared about was how to stop it all. 

He was going to man another simulation, but this time it was going to be bigger. This time he wouldn’t be manning a shuttlecraft sim, he’d decided that wasn’t big enough, and besides security had been amped up around the flight hanger. There was no way he’d ever get in there, even with his impressive skills. No he’d decided to run another simulation program in the training sims. Traditionally they were reserved for the advanced cadets, but Jim felt confident that he could get in there. 

No, this was definitely the proper way to do things. The training sims were located near the flight hangers, but sufficiently far enough away to not arouse suspicion. He’d lure Avery there with the promise of an easy target, and well, the rest he’d deal with when it happened Avery wouldn’t be able to resist the lure of another potential sabotage attempt. It was perfect really, no one else had to get hurt. Jim still felt terrible about what had happened to Jen, and if he did things this way, then the only person getting hurt would either be himself or Avery. 

His only problem was trying to figure out which sim program to run. There were five sim rooms in total, two were dedicated to training cadets for diplomatic missions, two were used for advanced training in landing party protocols and one was the infamous Kobayashi Maru, which Jim couldn’t wait to get a go at. He’d been told that particular simulation wasn’t for the faint hearted, and most often ended in tears and failure. He didn’t think his turn would end like that. He didn’t believe in no-win scenarios. 

Maybe he should just set one up to be like a diplomatic mission, that way he’d have plenty of space in which to…discuss things over with the other man. He hadn’t exactly worked out how he would get Avery to admit to the sabotage of the first shuttle sim, but he’d figure that out later. He was good at thinking on his feet, the main thing he had to do was make sure Avery went there in the first place, otherwise all this effort would be for nothing. 

He didn’t want that, he wanted everything to be out in the open. The top brass needed to know what kind of person they’d admitted to the Academy, they needed to know in order to more tightly police their gates. Jim had never in his wildest dreams thought he’d be so concerned with the calibre of people admitted, but in this case he was. Captain Pike needed to know, Admiral Todd needed to know, hell Bones needed to know. 

That particular thought still stung, on some level he just couldn’t believe the two men were friends. But he’d spent enough time ruminating over the details of Bones inner circle, now was the time for action. After all he had no idea if Bones even wanted to continue their friendship, he hadn’t seen the other man in about a week now, which was weird for them. Normally Bones was always complaining about how Jim was underfoot, and Jim missed him. God damn did he miss him. 

Maybe he should try and patch things up between them he wondered idly as he made his way to a Tactics seminar. He really did miss him, he missed their easy camaraderie, the way Bones always seemed to be rolling his eyes at him. Jim would be the first to admit he could be something of a jackass, but Bones always put up with him, never made him feel like a child. Ah well. The pain of his betrayal still cut a little too deep for Jim’s liking, he’d been so sure Bones would believe him, in fact he’d been almost certain of it. 

“Hey Jim, you look like you’re a million miles away” 

Jen’s voice cut through his thoughts and he grinned, pleased to see his friend back to full health. 

“Yeah I was. How are you doing?” 

A smile lit Jen’s pretty face. Even though they were classmates Jim rally liked hanging out with her, and found her very attractive. She was sporty and sassy, and a damn fine pilot, and seemed to be well on her way to becoming a good friend for him. 

“I’m doing good. Back to normal actually. And yourself?”

“Yeah, normal. Can’t wait to get back up there”

“I know right? Have you heard anything?”

Jim shook his head. “No, nothing. Boone finished his interviewing weeks ago, surely the committee has completed their investigation by now? I mean how are the rest of you going to catch up to my exemplary flight record?”

Jen rolled her eyes and punched his arm. “Whatever Kirk, you keep telling yourself that. So not feeling any nerves about getting back up there?”

Jim looked at her in surprise. “No, are you?” 

Jen seemed to think for a moment, pondering her answer. “I’ve been a pilot for a few years now, but honestly? That crash shook me up, even though it was only a sim. I have to admit I’m a little apprehensive about getting in the cockpit again”

“You’ll be ok. You’re a great pilot. Nerves are only natural, I guess all you can do is work through them and try not to let them get in the way of you living your life”

Jen’s eyes widened. “Wow, coming from you that was surprisingly deep. I’m impressed”

Jim grinned. “Well I’m not just some backwards country hick, as some cadets would have you believe”

“Never thought you were actually. You’re a hell of a pilot Jim” Was it his imagination or was there a slight blush to Jen’s cheeks? 

“Thanks. You too. Still not as good as me, but you’ll do”

Jen laughed. “Oh so glad I don’t have to worry about nerves on your side”

Jim grinned again. “Did you ever have to?”

***

Once Jim had made up his mind on how he was going to expose Avery, his life got a lot simpler. Of course he still had to figure out how to get the other man to the sim training hanger, but he felt confident he could work that all out. The only thing he could see that was wrong with his life, was that Avery was everywhere. 

Naturally Jim had expected to see him around, especially given that Avery had changed his major from medical to command, but the guy was fucking everywhere. Every time Jim turned around he was there, smiling and laughing like he was a natural part of the group. Just knowing what he was capable of made Jim’s skin crawl. 

God he needed to get his shit together, he hated feeling so scattered and unsure. What he really needed was a night out drinking with Bones, but he was unsure how to bridge the gulf that had appeared between them. In truth he wasn’t even mad at him anymore, just frustrated and maybe a little lonely. He missed his friend. 

Deciding to bite the bullet, he sent Bones a comm. 

_Hey Bones. Wanna catch up? Haven’t been drinking in a while. Jim._

It didn’t take Bones long to reply. 

_Hi kid. I can’t tonight. Have clinic all afternoon. Already have plans for dinner and afterwards. Meeting with med society. Sorry. Bones._

Oh. Well that sucked, but it was fine. Bones had plenty of other friends, so the thought that he already had plans shouldn’t have come as such a surprise. Jim had plenty of other friends too, even if he couldn’t come up with any names at that moment. 

Pushing the disappointment away he made his way back to his dorm, breathing a sigh of relief when he didn’t meet Asiloo there. The Andorian was pretty friendly, but Jim didn’t want to be interrupted, he had plans to develop, and besides Asiloo was probably out tormenting Uhura. Heh, that thought made him laugh. 

Hell if he couldn’t get the girl’s first name then nobody could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going to post the next chapter straight away, because I don't want to keep you waiting any longer! :)


	24. Chapter 24

It was a Friday night before Jim finally got his chance t put his plan into motion. He’d spent the better part of that day trying to ignore Avery in his classes, but the man was quite simply, everywhere. Much to his satisfaction though Jim finished up early and spent an hour or so working out, centering his mind on what was about to happen. He hadn’t seen Bones all day, which was good. He knew his friend would only try and talk him out of doing what he was about to do, but nothing could top him. He’d be damned if he let Avery get away with his farce any longer. 

After his final class he slipped away and occupied himself for a few hours until it got dark, he worked out, ate some dinner and finally tried to read over some notes before the sun sank below the horizon, lending a secretive air to the grounds of the Academy. It lent to his mood he thought as he headed out, slipping through the shadows. As a Friday night the campus was thankfully deserted, everyone was out drinking in the pubs or getting up to no good in the city, so he didn’t encounter a single soul as he made his way to the sim deck. 

As he walked a strange feeling settled over him and he knew Avery was following him. He wasn’t sure how he knew, but that unmistakeable feeling of being watched made the hair on the back of his neck stand up, made his palms sweaty. He slipped past the security guard on the gate with no amount of difficulty and found his way inside, fully aware that he was breaking just about every academy rule. He didn’t care, he had to prove his point. 

The sim deck was totally dark and eerily silent, all the controls powered down for the night. It took him a few moments before he found the primary power board. 

“Computer, lights 80%” he said after he’d powered it up, squinting as the main room was lit up. It felt strange to be in the room alone, normally the space was buzzing with cadets and personnel, each going about the various activities involved in running such a large sim. As a cadet first class Jim hadn’t seen too much time inside one of these training rooms, but that was all in his future. 

Keeping his ears sharp for anything out of the ordinary Jim programmed his parameters into the sim computer, running through a quick diagnostics check to make sure everything was in working order. A series of small green LED lights came him the all clear, and he was just about to hit start when the sim door crashed open.

***

Leonard had had a very long, very tiring day and was looking forward to opening his bottle of bourbon when he spotted Jim making a beeline across campus. At first it didn’t bother him much, he’d spent all day in the infirmary and had a xenobio exam coming up that he really needed to study for, but as he made his way back to his dorm he couldn’t put it from his mind. 

It had been nearly a month since he’d spoken to Jim, really spoken to him. Sure they’d shared words in passing, but it felt like years since he’d sat down with him. God damn it, he’d managed for years before he’d met Jim and had always had few friends, preferring the solitude of his own company to that of others, but he’d started to think of Jim as a permanent fixture in his life, even if he did spent half his time grumbling at him for being underfoot. If he was honest with himself he loved the kid, he was like a brother to him and he only hoped he could be the same for Jim. Lord knows the kid needed an ally, especially now. 

With the increasing distance between them Leonard was growing increasingly worried about him. Sure Jim was a bit of a rebellious loon who more often than not acted before he thought about his actions, but he wasn’t paranoid. He didn’t run random background checks on people he didn’t get along with. That sort of behaviour would have been weird on anyone, but especially so on his best friend. 

He didn’t know what to do about it though, short of talking to him about it again, but that had gone so fantastically the first time that he was hesitant to try again. God damn it. Jim was like quicksilver, running through his fingers faster than he could hold on to, an intangible force of nature that couldn’t be stopped. He only hoped he didn’t do something stupid. 

He’d just opened the bottle of bourbon when he changed his mind. 

“God damn it Jim. I can’t let you ruin yourself over this” he muttered to himself, grabbing his parka before he slipped from the room, zipping it up against the chilly breeze as he went across campus in the direction he’d seen Jim go. The grounds were deserted, but he avoided the security guards that were making last minute sweeps before curfew, keeping to the shadows. In the distance he could just make out Jim’s blond head. He was alone, heading toward one of the sim training decks, which were strictly off limits to unauthorised cadets. Jim was up to something: he knew it. 

The only problem was Leonard had to figure out what before he got himself hurt, or even worse: killed.


	25. Chapter 25

Jim spun, facing the now open door and the man that stood in front of it. It came as no surprise that it was Avery, and Jim felt a small thrill zip through him. The initial stage of his plan had worked, and he’d successfully gotten Avery inside the building. 

“What are you doing here?” Avery asked suspiciously. He rested a hand casually on the metal railing of the observation deck. 

“I could ask you the same question couldn’t I?” Jim said casually, folding his arms. 

Avery huffed a chuckle. “Funny, but then you’ve always been funny haven’t you Kirk?”

“Just one of my many talents I guess” 

Avery frowned and stepped closer. “Still, I really should ask you what you’re doing here. Don’t you think it’s a little bit odd that a cadet is running a training sim alone?”

Jim shook his head. “Not particularly. I’ve been given permission to run a program I developed”

Well it wasn’t a total lie at least, Jim thought as he watched Avery, who was now gazing at him sceptically. 

“You’ve got permission to run a sim program? At almost midnight on a Friday? I don’t think so”

“How would you know? You have no idea of my academic record, so it could be totally normal for me to be doing this” Jim lied. 

Avery scoffed. “I don’t think so, and unlike all the other sheep here at this institution, who seem to fall for your endless supply of bullshit, I’m not buying it”

“Really? I guess the feeling is mutual then”

“What are you talking about?” Avery asked, stepping down the ramp until he was on level ground, his boots echoing in the empty space. Up close he stood at exactly the same height as Jim, but he wasn’t intimidated. It took a lot to scare Jim Kirk, and this fool didn’t even qualify. 

“Well you seem to know all about feeding bullshit to people, isn’t that right? Your last name is a prime example. It isn’t even Scott is it?”

“You’re insane, what the hell are you talking about?” Avery asked, but Jim was pleased to see a hint of unease in his eyes. He was getting to him, that much was certain. 

“Your parent’s name is Kruger, isn’t that right? Why’d you change it? Was it to hide your criminal record?”

Now Avery’s eyes widened. “Oh, very clever Jim. You probably think you’re even smarter than you are, but you’re wrong. I didn’t change it because of my record, I changed it because of my father”

Jim frowned. “Why?”

Avery shrugged and stepped closer. “I didn’t want anyone finding out about what had happened to him, but I guess that failed didn’t it?”

“Yeah I guess so” Jim kept his eyes trained on Avery as he walked closer, coming to rest against one of the computer terminals. Despite his casual stance there was an air of danger around him, like he was a predator stalking his prey – and Jim was that prey. 

“This is a funny little situation we’ve got ourselves into isn’t it? We’re both brilliant, although your intelligence is to be debated, we both know that the other is full of shit, but then again we don’t know what to do about it. Well you don’t, but I do”

Jim stood up straight. “Oh and what’s that?”

“I’m going to kill you Jim. Plain and simple, and this time I’m not going to fail. The world doesn’t need any more people in it like you, so I’m going to do everyone a favour” 

“I knew it was you who sabotaged that shuttle. You could’ve killed Hastings did you know that?” Jim’s voice shook a little with repressed anger. 

Avery shrugged. “She was an obstacle, disposable. She didn’t matter. You were who I wanted”

“Why? What the hell did I ever do to you?”

“Oh it’s not you personally, although now that I’ve met you I can honestly say I hate your guts. It’s what happened all those years ago on the _Kelvin._ To be more specific, it’s what your father did, or didn’t do”

Jim frowned and tried to process what Avery had just said. What the hell did his father have to do with any of this? He had no idea. 

“What the hell does my father have to do with this?”

“You still don’t know who I am do you? Well I wouldn’t expect you to know everyone who was killed on that ship, but it would be nice. You want to know why I changed my name?”

Jim struggled to keep the scorn from his voice. “Enlighten me”

Avery stepped closer. “It’s because I didn’t want anyone knowing who my father was, especially the top brass here, because they’d know. It might take them a few weeks, maybe a few months, but they’d figure it out. My name is Avery Scott Kruger, and my father was Chief-Engineer Victor Kruger”

Jim still didn’t understand, and was starting to feel very slow. Not a common feeling for him, and not one he cared to experience again. 

Avery stared at him. “My father was killed on the _USS Kelvin_ the very same day you were born”

Holy shit. It all made sense. “Your father was killed on the Kelvin?”

Avery nodded. “Yes Jim, and it was your father who couldn’t save him. He managed to save 800 other fucking lives, but he couldn’t for my dad”

Jim frowned, thinking furiously. He’d read Captain Pike’s dissertation of the famous event, and if he remembered correctly, the engineering section was one of the first to be destroyed. That had been (Pike theorized), part of the reason why George Kirk had to manually fly the ship, instead of leaving it to autopilot. His father hadn’t killed anyone. Avery was wrong, blinded by grief and rage, but wrong no less. 

“My father didn’t kill anyone. Engineering was one of the first areas to be hit”

“That’s beside the point. Why couldn’t your father have ordered everyone to the shuttles earlier? Then my dad might have been alive. God he must have been terrified in those seconds it took to end his life”

Jim didn’t know what to say. He didn’t agree with Avery in the slightest, but didn’t want to enrage him further. That dangerous glint was back in his eyes and his fists were balled by his sides. 

“That’s why I did it you know” Avery said after a moment, his voice strangely calm. 

“The shuttle sim?” Jim echoed. 

“Yes. I kept thinking about how scared my father would have been in those final moments and I wanted you to feel the same. Why should you continue living when my father never got the chance?”

Jim blinked. “Your father knew what he was signing up for. We all do. From the second we get accepted it’s drilled into us that death is a constant factor. I don’t mean to sound cruel, but your dad would have known that”

Avery shook his head. “That’s beside the point, you ignorant little fool. Everyone hails you as the next George Kirk, the heroic captain who single-handedly saved hundreds of lives aboard the doomed _Kelvin_. But what about the people that didn’t make it? What are you going to do when faced with a similar situation in the future? You can’t save everyone”

Jim made a face. “What the fuck? The people who didn’t make it off the ship are remembered in memorials and spoken about with reverence and sadness. They’re not forgotten, especially here. I’m the last person who wants to be associated with my father’s legacy, I don’t even tell people. I don’t lord it around the Academy”

“Oh but you do,” Avery said as he stepped closer, “You do Jim. Everyone knows who you are: everyone admires you. The men want to be you and the women want to be with you, and guess what? I’ve had enough”

With that Avery lashed out, catching Jim square on the jaw and snapping his head back with a vicious punch. He was on him before Jim had a chance to defend himself, swinging his fists and punching hard, sending him crashing to the ground, grunting with the sudden pain. 

“You don’t deserve to be here, you don’t deserve their admiration” Avery grunted, his face red as he tried to lock his hands around Jim’s throat. 

Luckily Jim landed a swift kick to Avery’s groin before he scrambled away, shaking his head to clear his vision. This wasn’t going how he’d expected. He needed to get Avery calmed down. 

“Avery stop, we can work this out. Just stop” he wheezed, ducking away from Avery’s grasping hands. He landed a few punches of his own as they continued to grapple around the floor of the sim deck, the space filled with the dull thud of flesh smacking flesh, the low grunts of their exertion and occasional cries of pain. 

Finally Avery stood up, seemingly winded. Jim didn’t want to admit it, but he was feeling the same. Avery was a big man and he hit hard. Grimacing he wiped a smear of blood from his mouth, tasting the metallic tang in his throat. 

Once he’d regained his breath Avery stood up, his eyes alight with vicious glee. 

“You seem to think that the little things you do make some kind of difference. Let me tell you, they don’t. In fifty years you will be the only one who remembers this. After you die your memories will be swallowed by the void of the world, never to be thought of again. You will cease to exist, and everything will remain unchanged. The way your voice cracks when you’re angry, the righteous fury that invades every particle of your being. How your fingers twitch when you hear an uncomfortable truth. All this will be lost and no one will care. I’ve learned that the world is a cold and lonely place, and you’re only making it worse. This is the end for you Jim Kirk, and you know what? No one is going to miss you. You’re nothing. This is it for you, and I for one am glad”

With that he produced a knife and stepped forward.


	26. Chapter 26

Damn it all to hell. Leonard had been steadily making his way across campus, following Jim when another familiar figure had appeared. From the looks of it it had been Avery, and he’d frowned as he’d continued following them, all the way to the sim training decks at the edge of the campus. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing as he saw first Jim, then Avery sneak inside and he knew it wasn’t good. 

As he flattened himself against the wall, avoiding the security guard Leonard entertained a distant notion that maybe the two men had put aside their differences and were working on something together. No that couldn’t be the case: Jim had seemed fairly determined not to like Avery and Avery the same with Jim. But he supposed differences could be put aside, even if there was some part of him that didn’t believe that. Both Jim and Avery were far too stubborn for that, and he’d had first hand experience with that. No something was up. 

Once he got inside the sound of voices drew him toward the deck floor, but he kept out of sight, wondering what was going on. It sounded like Jim and Avery were having a very serious discussion, and he didn’t want to disturb them. It would be vastly more helpful for him if the two actually got along. 

“…the last person who wants to be associated with my fathers legacy. I don’t want to lord it around campus, I don’t even tell people” Jim was saying, and it took Leonard a moment to realise what he was talking about. While it was true that Jim didn’t often speak about his past, more specifically his fathers actions and death aboard the Kelvin he’s spoken about it with him. Only once and he’d come away with the clear inference that it was never to be spoken about again. That was fine by him, he didn’t want to go rehashing the ghosts of Jim’s past. 

“Oh but you do Jim. You do. Everyone knows who you are: everyone admires you. The men want to be you, and the women want to be with you. Quite frankly I’ve had enough of it”

Leonard gasped as Avery drew back his fist and punched Jim square in the face. It was a hard hit, viciously strong and he hoped it hadn’t broken any bones. To his credit Jim recovered pretty quickly, landing a few hits of his own and managing to avoid too serious a damage. It was still hard to watch, and Leonard wanted nothing more than to step between them and put an end to this violence. He’d always been a pacifist, advocating peace over violence, which was one of the things he’d started to like about Starfleet. 

“Avery stop! Just stop, we can work this out” he heard Jim wheeze and he risked another glance down into the deck only to see Jim on the floor with a hand to his bleeding lip. 

“You seem to think that everything you do here will make some kind of difference, but let me tell you. It won’t…”

Leonard watched in horror as Avery advanced on his friend, cruel words and taunts tripping from his lips. It was remarkable really, how easy the filth came forth and as he listened Leonard started to realise that maybe Jim had been right about him all along. Maybe all the hate and misery had been from Avery’s end, and not Jim’s like he’d thought? The notion that he’d actually started believing that made his stomach twist. How could he have believed Avery over his best friend? Sure he hadn’t known Jim for very long, but Jim was one hell of a stand up guy. 

Ok, this needed to stop right now. It couldn’t go on like this for any longer. Heedless of the ruckus his appearance was sure to cause Leonard stood up, his communicator in hand, only to let out a surprised shout at the scene that met his eyes. 

Avery was holding one of the nastiest looking blades Leonard had ever seen, long and thin and wicked-looking. Jim had managed to regain his feet and was staring up at the observation deck where Leonard was standing. Everything was silent in the space, only the faint hum of the lights could be heard and it was at that moment that Avery seized his moment. 

Striding forward Avery grabbed Jim by the shoulders and before he had a chance to protest, or even defend himself, he rammed the blade home, pushing it deep just under Jim’s ribs. Jim gasped and went ramrod straight, his hands scrabbling at Avery’s shoulders, almost like they were embracing, but in a cruel twist Avery plunged the blade deeper. 

Before he could move Leonard raised the communicator to his lips, depressing the button. 

“This is Dr Leonard McCoy. I need a medical team and a security detail at training sim deck 4 immediately” 

“Avery stop!” he yelled, shoving the comm into his pocket as he raced down the stairs to his fallen friend. 

“What the fuck are you doing here Len?” Avery asked, casually wiping his bloody hands on his pants. Leonard was sickened to see the red blended in with the uniform perfectly. He didn’t seem at all surprised to see him. 

“Get out of the way” Leonard growled, shoving him aside and kneeling by Jim, who wasn’t moving.

“Bones?” he murmured, his voice ending in a moan. He was pale and clammy, clearly already succumbing to shock. Damn it, Leonard wished he had his emergency med kit with him, anything.

“It’s alright Jim, just lie still now. That’s it, I’ve got you” he said soothingly, wishing for the reassuring weight of a tricorder. 

“He…help me sit up” Jim managed, clutching his arms. 

No way. “No Jim, you just lie here. Try not to move…”

Blinding hot pain crashed through him then, cutting off his words and sending him sprawling across the other man. Vaguely he heard Jim’s pain-filled gasp, then strong hands had gripped his ankles and were pulling him off him. 

“Avery what the hell are you doing?” Leonard barked, twisting away. The hands dropped his ankles, leaving him free to move again. 

“I can’t let you leave here Leonard. You’ve seen too much” Avery said, his voice devoid of all emotion. It was a strangely unsettling tone that sent shivers down his spine. This wasn’t the man he knew. 

“I beg your pardon? Avery you seem to be the one who’s behaving like a damn criminal here”

Avery glanced at him. “Well no one is going to know that are they? To the security guards who find you in the morning, it’s all going to look like a fight between two cadets that ended badly”

“Are you out of your mind? Jim’s my best friend, I’d never hurt him” Leonard growled, gently touching the back of his head. Thankfully his hand came away clear, he couldn’t be dealing with his own injuries now, not when he needed to focus on Jim. 

“Except you haven’t been acting very friendly toward him lately have you? When was the last time you hung out together?”

Leonard stared, horrified. “This was all part of your plan wasn’t it? You drove a wedge between us so that you’d be the one to look like the hero”

Avery laughed. “Bravo Leonard, it seems you’ve finally figured out my brilliant plan. And guess what? It’s going to stay brilliant because no one is going to know what happened here. Kirk is going to bleed out in a matter of moments, which leaves me with you”

Leonard stood up, balling his fists. He wasn’t a fighter by any means but he knew how to defend himself, even against his former friend who now seemed to be dangling by a thin shred of sanity. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. 

“How could you do this?” he asked, still trying to wrap his mind around it. 

Avery sighed. “Really? You’re asking me that now? Well it was easy. You see Jim’s dear old dad was once the captain of a ship called the Kelvin, a ship my own father was briefly posted to. Now we all know what happened on that fateful day in 2233.04, so I won’t go into detail but something had to be done. I couldn’t let Kirk junior blunder about making the same bad choices his father did, I just couldn’t. So I thought I’d bring him down a few pegs, first by sabotaging his shuttle sim a few months ago. You see I thought he needed to feel the same kind of fear my father did in his final moments. That unfortunately didn’t work, so I had to think of another way. That proved to be a bit more difficult and I didn’t get much of an opportunity until now”

Leonard stared, horrified. “I can’t believe you. What happened to wanting to be a doctor damn it”

Avery shrugged. “I got bored. You know me, but then again I don’t really think you do”

“No I don’t, and forgive me if I don’t go running to your defence” 

“Oh there won’t be any need for that, because I don’t intend to be caught”

Suddenly there was a loud rapping on the door, startling them both. 

“Open up, this is security. We received a distress call from a source inside this building. If you can hear me open this door immediately”

Hope flared bright and hot inside his chest, relief rising like an undercurrent in his veins. This needed to end now: he needed to take care of Jim. He’d deal with the repercussions later. 

Avery reached for his knife again, stepping forward. “You shouldn’t have done that Leonard. That was a stupid move”

From across the room Jim’s voice suddenly rose, weak and trembling, but with unmistakeable strength. 

“Not…as…stupid as…this” he managed, throwing himself onto the other man, managing to land a hard punch before his momentum carried him too far and he went crashing to the floor. 

“Damn it Jim I told you to stay down!” Leonard yelled, racing forward to kick the fallen knife out of reach. The security guards continued to beat the door, but he was a little preoccupied right now damn it. 

“Bones…get the code for the…door” Jim’s voice shook with the effort and he was clinging weakly to a computer terminal. 

“Don’t even think about it!” Avery cried but Leonard, who’d had quite enough of the sound of his voice for one night thank you very much, drew back his fist and delivered a (what Jim would later call) magnificent blow, knocking him out cold and sending him sprawling across the metal floor. 

He stood there for a moment, totally stunned, unable to comprehend what he’d just done before the sound of the door broke through. 

“Open up immediately or we’ll use force to enter”

“Alright I’m coming, hold your horses” he grumbled, quickly typing in the access code on the panel by the door before rushing back to Jim’s side. 

“What’s going on here?” one of the guards asked, his phaser raised. 

“Detain that asshole, he’s the one who caused all this” Leonard barked, reaching for his communicator again, this time calling for an emergency transfer to Starfleet Medical. Frankly he was surprised that someone hadn’t come with the security team, and he’d be sure to mention that to the administration when he got the chance. Right now he needed to focus on Jim, who was growing paler by the second. 

“Jim? Open your eyes, keep looking at me” he ordered, quickly pulling aside Jim’s stained uniform. Blood was seeping steadily from a nasty wound just under his ribs, bright red and bubbling. 

Penetrating stab wound, possible tension pneumo-thorax, pulse weak and thready, symptoms of severe shock. Damn it the medical team really needed to be here soon he thought as he applied pressure, trying to ignore Jim’s gasping cries. 

“Hold on kid” he murmured, trying not to take note of the sticky warmth on his hands, of the way Jim’s breathing was growing laboured, his eyes bleary. 

“Hurts Bones…” he whispered. 

“I know it hurts but it’s all going to be better soon. Just hold on for a little while longer” he soothed, wishing he could spare a hand to brush his forehead or something to instil some kind of comfort. 

Jim nodded and closed his eyes: obviously trying to get himself under control and thankfully not a second later the medical team arrived. 

“What’s happened?” one of them asked: taking over from Leonard and applying pressure to the wound. Another was already holding a scanner over Jim’s body. 

“He’s been stabbed. I don’t know much else because I don’t have a scanner with me, but it looks like a penetrating chest wound” he said, sitting back on his heels and watching as they worked, buzzing around his friend. 

“Let’s get him on a stretcher. What’s his name?”

“It’s Jim. Mind if I tag along?” 

The woman shook her head. “I’m sorry but our transport only has room for the three of us. We’re taking him to Starfleet Medical so I’m sure you can catch up with us there”

He stood up, feeling strangely bereft as he watched the team load Jim onto a stretcher and take him to the waiting shuttle. From here it was only a short ride to the medical facility. 

“You’ll need to come with us to give a statement” one of the guards said and Leonard turned, surveying the scene before him. The sim floor was a mess, mostly covered in blood that he wasn’t sure belonged to Jim or Avery. Probably more likely to be Jim’s he thought. 

“I need to get to the damned hospital” he growled, ignoring the guards and thinking only of Jim. Fuck the questioning: it could all wait until he knew his friend was going to be alright. 

In fact fuck everything, he thought as he strode from the building, walking easily past the quickly assembling police and campus security. None of them paid him much attention, Leonard liked to think maybe they were a little scared of him in that moment: after all he still had Jim’s blood on his hands. 

Yeah he was a little scared of himself right now.


	27. Chapter 27

Pain. 

Darkness. Nothing, no not nothing. A voice, gruff and deep but strangely comforting, a faint pressure on his hand. Someone gently calling his name. They all came to him like fragments of a dream, distant and gossamer thin, intangible. The more he tried to focus on them the more they slipped away, like he was trying to hold water in his palm. It was frustrating. 

“Come on Jim, open those eyes for me” 

There was that voice again, deep and southern-soft, the words going deep into his bones. Bones, yes that was who it was. His friend Bones. Was he still his friend. He didn’t know. Everything was so fucked up right now, he just wanted to sleep for days, give his body time to recover. 

“Can you hear me Jim?”

“Ugh” he managed, his throat like sandpaper. There was a funny taste in his mouth as well, and his body felt heavy and sore, reminding him all to closely of his mortality. He didn’t like the feeling and he was distinctly aware that he’d experienced a lot of feelings he didn’t like recently. 

Something gently poked his lips and he hesitantly opened his mouth, sucking greedily at the cool water that was given him, groaning when it was taken away”

“That’s enough for now. You gonna open those eyes for me?”

Jim drew in a steady breath, slowly opening his eyes. Squinting against the harsh lights of sickbay he made out the familiar shape of Bones sitting beside his bed. 

“Lights, dim to 60%” Bones said. 

“Is that better?” he asked after a moment. 

Jim nodded. “Thanks. How long was I out?”

“A day, they kept you under so you could recuperate a bit. How do you feel now?” Bones asked, running a hand over his stubbled chin. 

Jim took stock of his body, noting the aches and pains, the sharp sting when he took too deep a breath. All in all he wasn’t feeling too bad, but he was pretty sure he was drugged up on some strong painkillers, so he was probably spacey. Loopy more like it. 

“Sore. My chest hurts” he said, resting his hand there. He could feel thick bandages under the thin hospital covers. 

“You had a nasty wound. Nicked your lung, almost punctured it, and you lost far more blood than I am comfortable with. The one thing Jim, the one thing I ask you not to do and of course, you do it anyway”

Jim closed his eyes. “Sometimes I am so good I’m god-damned sexy”

He heard Bones scoff. “Sexy my ass, you almost died kid”

“Didn’t though”

“Damn it Jim. There are so many things I want to say to you right now, most of which would get me booted out by the staff, so I’ll save them for later. Just get some rest. I’ll come by a bit later” Slight pressure on his shoulder this time, and Jim opened his eyes to find the room empty, the sound of Bones footsteps echoing down the corridor. 

He closed his eyes again, content for now just to rest back against the pillows and not think about what had happened. He was too sore to do anything else, and besides it would all be sorted at some point.

***

As he walked back to his dorm Leonard felt a strange sense of calm wash over him, followed by the odd sensation of loss. It wasn’t uncommon to him, this feeling, he’d felt it keenly after his divorce and again when Jocelyn had sent him the communiqué informing him of her move off planet. He’d not often felt like this around Jim though. 

He’d just made it back to his dorm when his comm chirped. 

Cadet McCoy you are to report to Captain Pike at 1100hrs. Interview room 4. Archer Hall. 

Frowning he shoved the unit back into his pocket and changed course, heading back through the grounds to Archer Hall. Seeing as how it was a Saturday morning the halls were quiet and he quickly spotted Pike waiting by the door of the room. 

“McCoy, come on in. This won’t take long” he said, giving him a warm smile. 

“What’s this about Captain?” 

Pike sighed softly. “Given the events of last night it’s understandable that you weren’t able to give your statement to the authorities, so we’ll do it now. Take a seat”

Leonard sat, feeling a little uncomfortable. Despite everything that had happened the night before he still knew he’d broken the rules. 

Pike stood in the corner of the room, motioning for the Police officer to begin the interview. Briefly Leonard wondered why Academy security wasn’t handling this, then he realised they were probably working in tandem. Avery would have to be detained for further questioning, there was no doubt this was now a criminal matter. 

“State your name and rank for the record please” the officer began. 

Leonard sat forward. “Dr Leonard H McCoy MD. I’m a Starfleet cadet, but a licensed doctor”

“Can you tell me what happened last night?”

He took a breath. “I followed Cadet Kirk to the sim training deck where I witnessed an altercation between him and another cadet, Avery Scott. I alerted security when Kirk was injured”

“Why were you following Cadet Kirk? Are you aware that the Academy has a strict curfew?”

“Of course I am, but Jim has a bad habit of getting himself into trouble. I was looking out for him”

From the corner of the room Pike let out a soft chuff of laughter. 

“Do you make this a habit?”

“Make what a habit?” Leonard snapped. 

The officer glanced up, one eyebrow raised. “Being in restricted zones after curfew”

Pike spoke up then. “No officer. McCoy has a stellar record. I can confidently say this event is a one-off for him”

“Thank you Captain. So what happened after you followed Cadet Kirk to the sim deck? What time would you say this all happened?”

“It was after midnight, I’d say about 0200 hours. I can’t remember the exact time I called for aid. Once I got inside the sim deck I stayed hidden, only exposing myself when Cadet Scott pulled a knife”

“And are you aware that Cadet Scott was enlisted under a false name?”

Leonard blinked. “What the hell? Sir I’ve known him for years as Avery Scott”

The officer made a note, then looked up. “We’ve tracked his records and ascertained that his last name is not ‘Scott’, but in fact ‘Kruger’. Did you know this?”

Leonard shook his head. “No Sir. I had no idea. What would possess him to lie to me for all those years?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out cadet. Can you describe what happened next?”

“Like I said once Jim had been injured I called for emergency backup. I didn’t have my med kit with me so I did the best I could. While I was trying to take care of Jim Avery spilled everything to me. He was the one responsible for the shuttle sim crash a few months ago. He said he did it so avenge his father’s death” Leonard sat back, thinking about those cruel words he’d heard. His head was swimming and he was desperately trying to make sense of it all. 

“He said a whole lot last night, most of which were threats to Jim and me. He said he couldn’t let me leave the sim deck because I knew too much, said he’d dispose of both Jim and I and make it look like an accident. Even though he was injured Jim managed to subdue him in time for the security team to gain access to the deck. That was it”

The officer nodded. “Is there anything of interest that you’d like me to make note of?”

Leonard shook his head. “No that’s it”

With that the officer packed up his notes. “Thank you cadet. We’ll be in touch if we require any further information”

Leonard nodded but remained in his chair as Pike let the officer out of the room before coming back, taking the now vacant chair. 

“Do you have any idea how many rules you broke last night McCoy?” he asked seriously. 

Leonard swallowed. “Yes Sir. I’m sorry Sir”

Pike regarded him for a moment. “I believe you and while you and I both know you and Kirk will be punished for breaking the rules, there’s a small part of me that’s relieved you did” 

“Relieved Sir?”

Pike nodded. “Yes. I’m glad someone had the sense to look out for Kirk. I’m glad he’s got you for a friend”

Leonard swallowed. “I’m not sure I’m even his friend right now”

“What do you mean?” Pike asked gently. 

Leonard sighed. “He came to me a few weeks ago saying he had something to tell me about Avery. I didn’t even let him get more than two words out before I shot him down. He’s supposed to be my best friend and I didn’t believe him”

Pike rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I don’t think Jim’s going to let that come between you. Give him some credit”

Leonard nodded, conveniently leaving out the fact that Jim had been a little odd when he’d seen him this morning. He knew he was being stupid and immature, Jim had just had major surgery and was drugged up to the nines on god knows how many painkillers. He couldn’t possibly hope to have some sort of decent conversation with him right now. 

“Give it some time” Pike said after a moment. 

Leonard nodded, even though he didn’t feel very hopeful. In truth he felt like shit about it all. He hadn’t had a friend like Jim in…well forever. Even if Jim didn’t want anything more to do with him he had to put it right, for the sake of his own damn sanity if no less.


	28. Chapter 28

When Jim woke next he was feeling much better, more focused and aware, despite the faint haze that lingered. He had no idea what time of day it was, or even what day in general. His chest still ached steadily but in truth he was feeling more like himself. 

Grimacing slightly he sat up, ignoring the irritated beeping of his biobed and reaching for the controls of a small holo-vid unit mounted on the wall of his room. Nice digs, he thought absently as he flicked through channels, Bones must have pulled some strings to get him such a private room. Although he had just come out of surgery, so maybe that counted for something. Yeah that was probably it. 

He channel surfed for a few moments, trying and failing to find something that would hold his attention for longer than two minutes. It wasn’t easy, most of the news involved boring federation politics, something about a new settlement on a far distant planet, some new medical breakthrough that he knew Bones would be interested in. 

The thought of the other man made him grimace again. He really needed to patch things up between them, he didn’t like the way they’d been left, especially since Bones had saved his life back at the sim deck. He still couldn’t quite believe what had happened. Avery’s father serving on the _Kelvin_? 

He knew that wasn’t hard to believe though, plenty of people had served on that doomed ship: he’d just never met one of the descendants before. It was kind of a weird feeling, knowing they shared this history, and Jim wasn’t entirely comfortable with it. Was that loss what had tipped Avery over the edge? If so why hadn’t he succumbed to that sort of behaviour? 

Well, he kind of had really. No this was nothing like the sort of criminal activity that Avery got up to, but Jim had gotten up to his fair share of mischief. Hadn’t been arrested, but he hadn’t exactly been a model citizen. Still wasn’t even now he mused. If Pike hadn’t taken that chance on him then he’d probably be in a jail cell right now. 

Ok that was enough soul searching for now he thought, tossing the remote away and running a hand through his hair. Man he hoped he’d be out of here soon, this place was boring. 

“How are you feeling today Jim?”

Bones voice made him jump and he turned to find the other man standing in the doorway. He looked only slightly better than he had the day before, still with dark circles under his eyes but at least he’d had a shave. 

“Hey Bones, you checking up on me?” he asked easily. 

Bones smiled grimly and stepped inside, the door swishing shut behind him. He pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down heavily. 

“Always checking up on you kid” 

Jim huffed a laugh. “You know you don’t have to. I can take care of myself” 

Bones shot him a disapproving glare, his eyebrow raised. “Oh really? Then pray tell how would you have gotten out of that shitstorm last night?”

Jim frowned. “I had everything under perfect control thank you. I was just waiting for my moment”

“Waiting for the right moment? Damn it Jim you were in over your head and you know it” Bones growled. 

“Look Bones nothing went wrong and it all worked out in the end didn’t it?” Jim shot back defensively. It seemed they were at this again. 

“No _you_ look Jim. You’re lucky to be alive right now: Avery could have killed you. What if he’d knocked you out and you’d bled to death? Care to tell me what would have happened then?”

Jim frowned. “Look, can we not talk about this now? I’m tired and I don’t really want to argue with you. Let’s just not ok?”

Bones sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Fine, but Jim you’ve got to get used to the idea of people caring about you. Not to sound like a sap but did it ever cross your mind what it would do to me if you died? Just think about that before you go off on some fool errand again”

With that he stormed from the room, leaving Jim to stare sullenly at the wall, contemplating his parting words. Well that had been mildly confronting, having people confess their feelings (however platonic), wasn’t a common occurrence for him. His mother had never really been overly fond of him, maybe he looked too much like his father for her to love. His stepfather Frank had been a whole other matter, a rather unpleasant one if that. 

No Jim definitely wasn’t used to his friends expressing their feelings: and if he was honest with himself he kind of liked it. It was new and kind of weird, but really nice. It made him feel somehow less insignificant in the world, like he had a place among the stars. 

Now all he needed to do was to sort out his friendship with Bones. He knew Bones had a major nurturing streak, and was one of the best doctors he’d ever met but the guy needed to lay off a bit. Jim was a grown man, not a 12 year old boy. If he was honest though he really liked it when Bones took care of him, it made him feel cared for. Special. 

Ugh this was getting him nowhere fast, and his head was starting to hurt. Once he was out of here he’d sort this out.

***

“Thank you for your time cadet. I hope you have a speedy recovery” the police officer shook Jim’s hand one last time before he stepped from the room. 

His room mate Asiloo breathed a sigh of relief as he came back inside the room, carrying a bundle of Jim’s clothes. Three days after he’d been admitted Jim was finally being released, and not a moment too soon. He’d been bored out of his skull in there, despite the steady stream of visitors. His flight squad had stopped by, then Asiloo and even Captain Pike, who’d had some sobering words about the nature of friendship. Despite Jim’s suspicions, Pike insisted that he hadn’t spoken to Bones about any of this, but even so Jim couldn’t take offence. Like so many other in his life Pike was just trying to look out for him. Slowly he was getting used to it. 

“So you ready to hit the real world again?” Asiloo asked while Jim got changed. 

“Oh man more than you know” he said, slowly buttoning up his casual shirt over his still-tender chest. The doctor on duty had restricted him from all duty, (which was fine, he’d make up the practical work later on), and given him strict instructions on taking the pain meds prescribed to him. Jim was pretty confident he wouldn’t need them. He didn’t like the fuzzy haze they left behind, didn’t like feeling in total control of his senses. 

“Do you need anything?” Asiloo asked, and Jim could tell he was trying not to hover. He smiled. 

“No I’m good. Just hand me that jacket and we can get out of here. I just need to sign the discharge papers at the desk, everything else is sorted”

Asiloo dutifully handed him the jacket and followed as Jim signed out at the front desk and headed out into the chilly air. Winter had well and truly hit the city and there was a definite Christmas tang in the air, the scent of pine playing gently on the breeze. Jim had never really liked Christmas, the Kirk family had never been one for festivity and he tended to stay on campus while the majority of the students went home for the break. He was even thinking of taking a short linguistics course for extra credit, which was being held on the campus over the winter break. 

“Hey will you be ok here for a bit? I’ve got to meet a study group” Asiloo said once they’d reached their dorm. 

Jim nodded. “Oh sure don’t worry about it. I’m perfectly fine, in fact I’ve got some stuff to do as well”

“Ok great. I’ll be back in a few hours. See you then” Asiloo lightly smacked his shoulder before he headed off, leaving Jim alone. 

Now that he was back in his own clothes, in his own space Jim didn’t stay long. He needed to sort things out with Bones now before the Christmas break. He’d probably be heading back to Georgia or maybe spending time with his daughter. This rift between them was eating him up. 

He didn’t bother to change, he just grabbed his jacket and headed off as quickly as he could manage, pushing through the bustling people to Bones apartment, punching in the pass code. He knew Bones wouldn’t care if he just barged in, he’d been doing it since the beginning and the familiarity grounded him. 

But the apartment was empty and looked to have been for quite some time. Everything was in its place, the bed was neat, the breakfast dishes were washed and piled in the drying rack and Bones boots ere all lined up at the door like soldiers. Jim chuckled and settled onto the couch, deciding to spend a few quiet moments here in the hopes that Bones came home soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> double dip again today, just to finish this off!


	29. Chapter 29

Man Leonard was glad this day was over. He’d had clinic all day followed by a short chemistry lab in which all of his research subject cells had died, throwing weeks of work down the drain. On top of it all he still hadn’t had a chance to sort things out with Jim and it was starting to eat him up. He missed him, plain and simple and today was the day it was all going to end. 

Straight after his chemistry lab he dumped his lab coat in his locker and headed to Jim’s dorm, knocking loudly, heedless of his room mate. After a moment the door opened, revealing the Andorian in a state of undress. His blue skin shimmered lightly in the dim lighting, but he at least had pants on. 

“Hey you’re Jim’s friend. Leonard right?” he asked. 

“Yeah that’s right. You wouldn’t happen to know where he is would you?”

The Andorian shook his head. “No idea. He was discharged this afternoon and we came straight back here. I came back about half an hour ago and he was gone”

“Really? Any idea where he would have gone?” Leonard asked, feeling the first spike of anxiety twist in his gut. Hopefully Jim hadn’t overdone it. 

“Nope. Sorry. I tried comm’ing him but he didn’t answer”

Leonard frowned. “Ok, thanks”

“I hope you find him!” the Andorian called as Leonard turned away. Where would Jim have gone? Surely not the hiking trails at the back of the campus, or the gym? Definitely not Leonard thought as he took the long way home, keeping his eyes peeled for the familiar blond head. He checked everywhere he could think of, the library, the mess hall, the student centre, even stopping by the infirmary but Jim was nowhere to be found. 

Now he was getting worried and since it was now dark out he couldn’t really do much. Jim was the type of person who when he didn’t want to be found, would disappear for who knows how long. He shouldn’t really be worried, but the fact that Jim was injured only served to increase his concern. Had the kid not listened to a word he’d said? 

However upon entering his apartment he made a rather surprising discovery. Jim was curled up on his couch, fast asleep. God what a relief, just the sight of him made his whole body sag with relief. Thank God he was ok. Leonard didn’t want to admit to himself just how worried he’d been, verging on frantic. 

“Oh thank God” he muttered to himself, scrubbing his face wearily. The door swished shut behind him and he quietly stepped out of his boots and jacket, hanging them by the door as quietly as he could before he decided to wake Jim. 

“Jim” he said softly, lightly shaking the other man’s shoulder. Being the light sleeper he was Jim stirred immediately, wincing a little as he stretched. 

“Hey Bones” he said, voice equally soft and sleep-rough. 

“You want some coffee?”

Jim sat up. “Sure, even though I’ll be up all night drinking that stuff”

Leonard chuckled. “You’re up all night anyway”

“Heh, true”

After a few moments of easy silence during which Leonard made them both coffee (settling for replicated crap instead of the real stuff), Jim stared at the floor, only looking up when he was handed his mug. 

“We need to talk” Leonard said as he sat heavily on the couch beside him. 

“I know” Jim said, huddled over his mug. 

Leonard sighed. “I’m sorry Jim. Everything’s so fucked up right now, and I can’t help but feel as though I’m the one to blame for it all. I should have believed you about Avery”

“Bones it’s ok” 

Heedless, he barrelled on. “No it’s not. You’ve always had damn near perfect instincts and I just couldn’t see past my own stupidity. I’m sorry”

“Bones it’s ok. I’m sorry too, I shouldn’t have put you in a position like that, I shouldn’t have made you have to choose between the two of us. I mean you have this whole shared history with Avery and I shouldn’t have come between that”

Leonard sat back. “But that’s the thing, I _haven’t_ had this shared past with him, I don’t even feel like I know him! He lied to me Jim, he lied to all of us and he tried to kill you! Repeatedly I might add”

“No one knows about the shuttle sim though, I mean they don’t know it was him”

Leonard shook his head. “They know. You didn’t forget about the recorder feed did you?”

“What?”

“Those training sims have built in recording devices that record everything that goes on during a run. Chances are they have the whole night in question on a data file somewhere, hopefully being analysed” 

“Holy shit. I totally forgot about that” Jim said thoughtfully, 

“Hhm” Leonard said. 

“I should thank you for the other night Bones. You saved my life” 

Leonard waved a hand. “Anytime Jim”

Jim stared at him seriously and Leonard was a little shocked by the depth of emotion shining in the cornflower depths. He wasn’t used to seeing Jim so serious. 

“I mean it Bones. I know I’m kind of all over the place but it’s nice to know you’ve got my back”

Leonard swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. “I’ve always got your back kid”

Jim nodded and sipped his coffee, staring out the small window above the sink. The sky was still roiling and dark, rain splattering the glass but even though Leonard knew it was cliché, he felt lighter. He felt so much better now that he’d sorted things out with Jim, lighter. 

“So you headed back home for the holidays?” Jim asked after a moment. 

Leonard shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably not, I’ve got to salvage the rest of a research project before my whole course goes balls up. What about you?”

“I’ve enrolled in a course over the break. Xenolinguistics. Just a basic one. Who knows, by the end I might even be able to give Uhura a run for her money”

He rolled his eyes. “I doubt that kid. She’s pretty impressive”

“That she is” Jim sat back, that old mischief back in his eyes. Damn it was good to see it again. 

They sat in silence for a while longer, finishing the rest of the coffee and slowly falling back into the easy conversation that was a trademark of their friendship. It was still a little awkward, still a little unsure, but they’d get it back. 

“I better get back to the dorm” Jim said, a little after 2300 hours. The weather was still miserable out there but he didn’t seem to mind. 

“Absolutely not. What kind of doctor would I be if I allowed my patients to go stumbling about in the damn rain?” Leonard grumbled, taking both their mugs to the small sink. 

“I don’t stumble” 

“Nonetheless, I want you to stay here. You’ll take the bed. I can have the couch”

“No way, I’m quite comfortable here”

“Jim you’re still recovering, you need your rest”

“I know, and I’ll get it. I was asleep here perfectly comfortably before you barged in”

Leonard raised his eyebrow. “It’s my apartment!”

Jim stood up, placing a hand gently on his shoulder. “Yeah, and you barge. It’s what you do best, well other than ‘doctorin’’. 

“Damn right. Ok fine, take the couch. Get some sleep Jim” he said, handing him a clean pair of pyjama’s and grabbing an extra blanket out of the small cupboard near the bed. Once Jim was settled in he changed quickly for bed himself, slipping his tired old body between the sheets. 

“Lights”

The room was plunged into darkness, the battering rain the only sound, save for Jim’s soft breathing. 

“Before you say anything, and I know you were going to. I just want to say thank you again. I know I thanked you before for everything that happened, so I don’t really know why I’m saying this but I just need to get it out. You’re my family Leonard, my Bones and I know I don’t need to go into detail about what the bones do. Just…thank you.”

In the dark Leonard was glad Jim couldn’t see his face, because his eyes were a little misty. God damn it. 

“I feel the same way about you Jim. I never had a brother, but if I did I’d want him to be like you” 

However platonically, the words _I love you_ hung in the air between them, unspoken but no less potent. 

They were silent for a while longer before Jim spoke again. 

“Don’t tell a fucking soul about this” 

Leonard laughed, knowing what a rare treasure it was to have Jim Kirk so openly vulnerable. It was a side many people never saw and he felt strangely honoured. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it kid”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that's it! I hope you enjoyed this little tale, it was my first attempt at writing a novel-length Trek fic, and i really enjoyed it. Of course looking back now I can see areas that need improvement, but for the most part i'm really happy with it. 
> 
> I do have plans to write more in this verse, I'm still very new to it, but have had a blast so far. Nothing is planned at the moment, but I'm always open to new ideas. :) 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who read this, and left comments. I hope i haven't disappointed anyone.


End file.
